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THE HEW AMERICA 



POULTRY 

BOOK. 




THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF POULTRY. 

THEIR MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. 
WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON RAISING POULTRY FOR PROFIT. 



Philadelphia : 
Crawford & Co., Publishers. 



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THE LIVES AND TRAVELS OF 

LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY, 

COVERING THEIR ENTIRE CAREER IN 

SOUTHEKN AND CENTRAL AFEICA. 

A Thrilling Narrative of the Adventures, Discoveries, Experiences 

and Achievements of the 

GREATEST EXPLORERS OF MODERN TIMES, 

IN A WILD AND WONDERFUL COUNTRY. 

Including Livingstone's Early Life, Africa as known before his 
gcing there, the entire Record of his Heroic Undertakings, 
Hazards, Hardships, Triumphs, his Discovery, by Henry M. 
Stanley, his Lonely Death, Etc , the work taken up by Stanley ; 
The Three Great Mysteries of the Past Five Thousand Years, solved 
by Stanley, Etc., Etc., 

BY REV. J. E. CHAMBLISS. 
RICHLY ILLUSTRATED BY 32 FULL PAGE ENGRAVINGS, 

Including Portraits of 

Large 8vo. 761 pages. Handsomely bound in cloth, with gilt 
stamps on side and back. Retail Price, $2.50. 

CRAWFORD & CO., Publishers, 

No. 47 BfORTH NINTH STREET, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA, 



THE NEW AMERICAN 



POULTRY BOOK, 



CONTAINING ALL THE DIFFERENT 



Varieties of Fowls, 



WITH COMPLETE XNSTBTJCTIONS. 



HOW TO RAISE POULTRY — THE BEST LAYERS AND SITTERS— 
THE BEST SOILS ON WHICH TO KEEP THEM — HOW TO 
FEED — MANAGEMENT OF LAYERS AND SITTERS — 

POINTS OF BEAUTY DICTIONARY OF 

POULTRY TERMS — INCUBATION — 

MANAGEMENT OF THE 

MOTHER — 



BY 

— JOHN TAGGART — 

Belleyue Poultry Farm, Hidxmoiid., £*»• 

PHILADELPHIA: 
CRAWFORD & CO., 5X3 

47 1ST. Ninth Street. 
1884 

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by Ceawpobd & Co., in the Office of the 
Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



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Tit. 

Illustrated Natural History 



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Descriptions of Animals, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, 

Insects , Etc., with Sketches of their Peculiar 

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BY THE 

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The above described volume has been written with the view 
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The text is illustrated by three hundred beautiful wood engrav- 
ings, and a well arranged Index renders the work complete. 

OEAWFORD & CO., 

No. 47 N. NINTH STREET, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 






DOMESTIC POULTRY, 



VARIETIES; THEIR CHOICE AND 
MANAGEMENT. 

In the choice of fowls, no inconsiderable amount of know- 
ledge of the characters of the different varieties is necessary to 
insure success to the breeder. From my own experience, and 
that of the most eminent poultry-keepers, I have attempted to 
jot down such information as may be found useful in the selec- 
tion and management of these really useful and elegant birds. 
I shall first introduce to the reader's notice the largest and one 
of the most important breeds in our country. 

THE BRAHMA FOWLS 

Are divided into two classes, the light and dark; as a rule the 
dark are preferable, although either are good enough for any 
farm yard. They are now almost universally cultivated through- 
out America, and a most valuable variety — so hardy, so beauti- 
ful, and so excellent in all the relations of poultry life. 

The hens are the best of mothers, and lay fine large eggs during 
the winter. Even when the ground is covered with snow, they 
lay regularly, and in fact at all times when not employed in sit- 



4 BRAHMA FOWL. 

ting or renewing their plumage. The pullets attain full size at 
an early age, and are in their prime when eight months old. 

Brahmas are doubtless the largest of all the varieties of domes- 
tic fowls; some have been known to weigh seventeen pounds, 
which exceeds the weight of any other breed. 




LIGHT BRAHMA, COCK AND HEN. 

The dark Brahmas have steadily progressed in favor since their 
first introduction; their gigantic size, great weight, hardihood 
and prolificacy, and the ease with which they can be kept in 
confined ranges, all tend to render them much esteemed. To 
sum up their merits, as good, useful, hardy fowls, they are un- 
surpassed. They are good layers of good sized eggs, good fora- 
gers and good sitters; as mothers they cannot be excelled, no 
fowls being more careful not to step on their chickens, brooding 
them better, or searching more diligently for food. The chick- 
ens grow fast and are exceedingly hardy; old and young take 



BRAHMA FOWL. 



good care of themselves, and often recover from ailments that 
would carry off any of a less hardy sort. They are very good 
for the table, putting on flesh readily; they are also small eaters. 




DARK BRAHMA HEN. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE DARK BRAHMA. 

The head of the dark Brahma cock should have a pea comb, 
that is a triple comb; this should be small, low in front, and 
firmly set in the head without falling over on either side, dis- 
tinctly divided, so as to have the appearance of three small combs 
joined together in the lower part and back, the largest being in 
the middle, and each part slightly and evenly serrated. 

The upper part of the body is silvery white striped with black; 
the breast, under part of body and thighs either pure black or 



6 BRAHMA FOWL. 

slightly mottled with white. The feathers that cover the bases 
of the quill-feathers of the wings are of a lustrous green black, 
and form a broad well-marked bar across the wings. The flight- 
feathers are white on the outer and black on the inner webs. The 
secondary quills have a broad, dark, green black spot at the end 
of each feather. The tail is black. The shank should be of a 
yellow color, and well clothed with dark feathers slightly mot- 
tled with white . 

The hens have a grey head; neck-hackle silvery white, striped 
with black. The comb is the same only of a smaller size. The 
remainder of the plumage should be dull white, and closely pen- 
cilled with dark steel grey so as almost to cover the ground color 
and reaching well up the front of the neck. The hen is not so 
upright in carriage as the cock, and it is much shorter in the 
legs. 

LIGHT BRAHIYIAS. 






LIGHT BRAHMA HEN. 



BHAHMA FOWL. 7 

In color, the light Brahmas are characterized by the general 
white color of the body, breast and thighs. The neck-hackle 
should be marked with a distinct black stripe down the centre 
of each feather; there is a tendency in the cock to come light or 
cloudy in the hackle — defects which very greatly detract from 
their beauty. The saddle-feathers in the cock are white or light- 
ly striped with black, those of the hen being white. The first 
ten flight-feathers are black, but the secondary quills, which 
alone are visible when the wing is closed, are white on the outer 
web, consequently the dark color of the wing is not visible when 
folded. In the cock the tail is black, the tail-coverts being beau- 
tifully glossed with green, the lower ones being margined with 




LIGHT BRAHMA COCK. 



silver, as are the tw o highest tail-feathers in the hen. The shanks 
in this variety should be bright yellow, well closed with white 
feathers slightly mottled with black. 



8 



COCHINS. 



In conclusion I would state that I do not believe, all things 
considered, that there is any better market fowl than the Brahma; 
some other breeds are doubtlessly superior table fowls, but they 
are more tender and harder to rear. 

Give your Brahmas large roomy quarters in winter, and if 
possible plenty of range for exercise; feed well, and they will 
give you winter-eggs, and those are the kind that bring money. 



COCHINS, 




BUFF COCHINS. 



The Cochins were first introduced into this country under the 
name of Shanghaes; they originally come from Shanghae, and 



COCHINS. 9 

are to this day found in great numbers there. But the Shanghaes, 
as originally introduced and widely grown in this country, were 
gigantic muscular birds of great activity and wonderful powers 
of storing away food, which was absorbed into muscle and bone, 
but made comparatively little juicy flesh. The consequence was, 
they got a bad reputation, and the term was finally one of re- 
proach; but upon the vast improvement which was made in them 
by careful breeding, the name of Cochins, as designated by 
cinnamon or white or buff or partridge, rapidly superseded the 
old term, aud the despised but vastly improved Shanghae sailed 
under a new name, and are now raised as profitable birds all over 
the United States. 

They are first-class layers, and in season when new-laid eggs 
are rare, and from their scarcity of so much increased value, this 
species often proves a source from whence we can obtain supplies. 
They also make capital mothers, and are quiet when sitting. 

In many places where space is limited, the Cochins are found 
convenient guests; they can put up with worse accommodation, 
and require less space than almost any other race. I do not 
mean to say that they will thrive the better for confinement, 
neither that fowls in general will pine and die if kept in a narrow 
range; all fowls are better for having ample space; but in cases 
where their liberties are necessarily abridged and more careful 
tending is required to counterbalance want of field-room, the 
Cochin can bear captivity better than any other fowl. 

The roosting- poles for Cochins and in fact all bulky fowls 
should be near the ground; they should be large in diameter in 
order that the claws may maintain a firm clutch and perfect 
equilibrium without inconvenience or effort. 



VARIETIES OF THE COCHIN. 

The Cochin fowl is a large heavy bird, very broad and clumsy 



10 SPANISH FOWL. 

looking. The tail is very short and nearly destitute of feathers? 
but the remainder of its body is abundantly covered. The legs 
are short, stout, and well feathered; the head should be small, 
with a single straight comb; the beak short and strong; the wat- 
tles small, and the ear-lobes red and fine as to texture. There 
are many varieties of the Cochin viz — Buffs; this is the true 
type of the colored birds, and for utility, I think the best. 

Partridge Cochins. — Very heavy; full round plump forms 
and a majestic carriage. 

White Cochins. — These should be pure white all over. In city 
yards amid the smoke and dust the White Cochin do not appear 
to advantage but in the country no variety looks more pleasing, 
as the beauty of their plumage depends on its clean and unsullied 
condition. 

If well selected, properly taken care of, and well fed, they 
make a first-class table bird; they are hardy, do not require much 
space, and I should recommend them to any person who only 
wants to keep a few birds. 



SPANISH FOWLS. 



The Spanish fowls have long been known and highly esteemed 
in the United States for their great laying and non-sitting pro- 
pensities. 

All fowls are better for being hatched in a warm season, and 
the Spanish are no exception to this. Though of a sound consti- 
tution, no fowl is more injured by cold wet weather. Their 



12 SPANI8H FOWL. 

roosting-places therefore should face the south, and be well-pro- 
tected from cold winds, especially as they are subject to long and 
protracted moultings. The cold affects their comb also, which 
is sometimes frost-bitten, with a liability to mortification. 

The flesh of the Spanish Black fowl is juicy and of good flavor, 
but not equal to that of the < ' Dorking. ' ' The flesh of the White 
Spanish is not considered so fine in flavor, as that of the Black, 
yet it is not bad, especially if young. 

As layers they are among the best, but are seldom inclined to 
sit ; they generally produce two eggs consecutively and then miss 
a day. 

As to healthiness, they are less liable to roup than lighter- 
colored birds; in fact, the Spanish fowl is less subject to disease 
than are most of the common black varieties. 

In general they are rather quarrelsome, and are very averse to 
strange fowls, and if separated from each other even for two or 
three days, the hens will disagree seriously upon being reunited. 

In case of a strange hen being tormented by her companions 
for any length of time, so that she is afraid to come and feed with 
them, or of the cock displaying his protracted dislike to her, it 
will be right to remove her, or she may be reduced to so low a 
condition as to render her unable to escape their persecutions, and 
avoid death from their violence. 

The Spanish pullets commence laying when six or seven months 
old, and occasionally sooner, though some of them commence 
at a later period, according to feeding and treatment. But pre- 
mature fertility is not to be wished for, as it will frequently hap- 
pen that pullets which commence very early, seldom lay when 
fully grown so large an egg as those produce which do not lay 
before they are eight months old. Indeed the debilitating effects 
of either premature, or continual laying in ripe age, as respects 
the Spanish breed are now and then manifested by the loss of the 



SPANISH FOWL. 13 

body feathers in moulting, besides the usual falling off of the 
neck, and wing, and tail feathers; and when thus stripped, the 
poor birds look very miserable in bad weather. 

In sitting Spanish eggs, nine of them are sufficient for hens of 
ordinary size, as they are much larger than the generality of 
fowls eggs. 

It will be unwise, with any breed, to select the first dozen of 
a pullet's eggs for hatching; they being comparatively immature 
and small, it is not likely that large and strong chicks will be 
the issue. Besides, pullets occasionally do not enter into tender 
union with their male companions until they have laid five or 
six eggs. 

The color of the Spanish chick, when first hatched, is a shining 
black, with a blotch of white sometimes on the breast, and a 
little white also around the bill and the eyes. They do not until 
nearly grown, get their full feathers, and therefore they should 
be hatched at a favorable season of the year, to be well feathered 
before it grows cold in the Fall. 

Spanish hens seldom exhibit a disposition to undertake the 
task of incubation, and if it be attempted, they will in the gen- 
erality of cases forsake the nest long before the chicks would be 
hatched. Sometimes, however, they will perseveringly perform 
the maternal duties; but it is against their general character. 
They are exceedingly long in the leg, consequently are subject 
to cramp; this partly accounts for their being so averse to such 
sedentary occupation. Since, therefore, they will not undertake 
the office of mothers, we must impose it upon some other class 
of fowl, that will not only accept the task, but will joyfully hatch 
and rear the young of even another species until they are able to 
take care of themselves. It is by this means the Spanish breed 
is still preserved and multiplied. 



14 SPANISH FOWL. 

VARIETIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE SPANISH FOWL. 

A full grown black Spanish cock weighs seven pounds; the hen, 
about six pounds. The principal features, and those which form 
the most striking contrasts to those of other fowls, are, its com- 
plete suit of glossy black, large face, and ear-lobe of white; 
enlivened by comb and gills of excessive development. The 
peculiarities of these contrasts induce me to describe them in 
detail. The plumage is of a rich satin, black, reflecting their 
shades of bluish, greenish purple, when exposed to the sun's rays; 
the feathers of the breast, belly, and thighs, are black, of the 
most decided hue. The hens are of a similar feather, but less 
brilliant. The face and ear-lobes especially the latter, are of 
pearly whiteness; the face should extend above the eye, encircle 
it, and meet the comb ; it still increases as the bird grows older, 
continuing to enlarge in size, especially with hens, which seldom 
have a really good show of face until two years of age, even 
beyond the time of their full growth; and the more face and ear- 
lobe, the more valuable either the cock or hen. The comb of 
the cock should be erect and serrated, almost extending to the 
nostrils, and of bright scarlet; it should be fine in texture, and 
exhibit no sign of excrescences. In hens this uprightness of 
comb cannot be obtained, owing to its abundant size and thin- 
ness of base. The wattles are long, pendulous, of high color, 
and well folded. The head is long, and there should be no top- 
knot behind the comb, nor muff round the neck. The beak is 
long, and generally black, it should be slightly curved, and thick 
at the base. The eyes are very full, bright and of a rich chest- 
nut color: they are somewhat prominent. The neck is rather 
long, but strong and thick towards the base, the neck hackle 
being a glossy black; the chest and body are broad and black, 
the former being particularly dark; the wings are of a moderate 
size, whilst the coverts are beautifully shaded, and of a bluish 



SPANISH FOWL. 15 

black. The thighs are neat but long, as also is the shank, which 
is of a leaden or dark blue color, and sometimes of a pale blue- 
white. The soles of the feet are of a dingy flesh-color; the tail 
is rather erect and well balanced, presenting if well plumed (as 
it should be) a very elegant green hued shade. 

White Spanish. — These birds are not so hardy, but they 
inherit the usual qualities of the black; the general feathers, like 
the face being perfectly white. 

The Ancona. — There is seldom much white about the face 
of this variety, and in many cases none; the ear-lobes is, however, 
of that color, though not so long and full as in the Black. They 
possess the general characteristics of the Spanish class, and are 
excellent layers. They are of a very unsettled color, spotted 
with white but far from regularly marked; they also present many 
other shades and colors. 

Minorcas. — These are very similar to the last named variety, 
wanting the white face of the Black tribe; the shank is not so 
long as in the true Black. They are good layers, but bad sitters 
and mothers. 

Andalusian. — When carefully selected, the chicks throw 
black and white and if those most resembling the originals are 
bred together, a neat grey bird may be obtained. They are good 
layers, and far better sitters and mothers than the Blacks, and 
have shorter shanks; whilst their principal peculiarity consists in 
a tail standing very erect, the feathers of which in many spe- 
cimens nearly touch the hackle-feathers of the neck. They are 
a very hardy fowl, and possess a fair share of the Black's good 
qualities. 

There are many other sub-varieties, or rather strains, that 
have crossed with the Spanish stock, but they neither deserve 
nor possess a distinct name. 



16 DORKING FOWL. 

The superiority of the Spanish generally, as egg producers, is so 
decided, that any cross from them meriting the character of 
everlasting layers, is worth encouragement. It is to be recol- 
lected that the Hamburgh or Dutch is not the only sort from which 
everlasting layers have sprung. Any hens which with warmth 
and good feeding will lay eggs continuously, and especially 
through the winter, are to be welcomed. And though the debil- 
itating effects of continued laying must tell upon the constitution, 
yet where stock is not desired for a mere gratification of the eye, 
but kept on economical principles, it cannot be inexpedient to 
stimulate the prolific powers of hens to the utmost. If good 
layers which have not the presumption to compete for the prizes 
of birth or beauty, can by clever management, be induced to lay 
within two years the entire compliment of eggs which in the 
ordinary course of nature would not be yielded by them in less 
than three years, there is an actual saving gained of at least one- 
third of food, if these effete layers be then fattened and killed. 
No breed would be better if this plan is strictly applied, than 
that of the common Blacks of Spanish blood, or some of their 
sub-varieties. 



THE DORKING FOWL. 



Of distinct English breeds the Dorkings are the most celebra- 
ted. For those who wish to stock their poultry-yard with fowls 
of the most desirable shape and size, clothed in rich and varie- 
gated plumage, and not expecting perfection are willing to over- 
look one or two other points, the speckled Dorkings are the 
breed to be at once selected. The hens, in addition to their gay 



DORKING FOWL. 



17 




GRAY ENGLISH DORKINGS, 



colors, have a large vertically flat comb, which, when they are 
in high health, adds very much to their brilliant appearance. 
The cocks are magnificent; the most gorgeous hues are frequently 
lavished upon them, which their great size and peculiarly square- 
built form displays to great advantage. The breeder, and the 
farmer's wife, behold with delight their broad breast, the small 
proportion of offal, and the large quantity of profitable flesh. 



18 DORKING FOWL. 

The Cockerels may be brought to considerable weight, and the 
flavor and appearance of the meat are inferior to none. They 
are only fair layers, but at due and convenient intervals mani- 
fest the desire of sitting. Having short, compact legs, they are 
well formed for incubation. The Dorkings are not well suited for 
damp soils, by reason of the shortness of their legs. They are 
also distinguished for breadth of body, the somewhat partridge 
form, and also, in the poultry phraze, for being' clean headed. 
Though they possess great similarity of form, there is much vari- 
ety of color; but they are generally distinguished as white, grey 
or speckled, and also by the character of the comb — viz, as single 
and double, or rose combed; and classed accordingly at the poul- 
try shows. 

The fifth or supernumerarytoe is the peculiar mark distinctive of 
the whole breed under consideration. Though the Creator has 
not designed anything without its appropriative purpose, this 
additional member must rather be deemed a distinctive than a 
useful one, just as the absence of a tail, or the color and size of 
a comb may distinguish an individual race of fowls. These over- 
furnished claws have been denounced as sources of danger and 
annoyance to young chicks when first issuing from the shell, 
rendering the mother's movements hazardous to them. I have 
never seen them do so, and even if they did how is the hen to be 
employed when the sitting fit comes on, for they are persevering 
sitters, and as neither worrying, nor whipping, nor fettering, nor 
physicking, or the cold shower bath, will subdue their natural 
instinct to set, they should be allowed to follow their instinct, 
and incubate in peace. 

The Dorkings are a very heavy fowl when fat, as their frame 
work is not of that lengthy, incompact structure which it is so 
difficult to fill up with flesh and fat; they much sooner become 
tempting figures for trussing and skewering than other fowls. 
They have a great aptitude for fattening when rendered capons. 



DORKING FOWL, 19 



VARIETIES AND DESCRIPTION. 



"White Dorkings. — This variety seldom produces more than 
two broods a year, because they require more favorable seasons, 
and greater warmth than the colored. 

The white is not so large as the colored, and, as a general rule, 
whiteness in animal physiology is indicative of constitutional 
delicacy. Their average weight is less than that of the colored,, 
and like all white feathered poultry, the flesh has a tendency to 
yellowness. 

The white cock and hen are perfectly white in the plumage, 
bills, and legs; both should have a double or rose-comb of bright 
red, though a single one is frequent, but this is considered a sign 
of degeneracy. The cock is very upright and spirited in his 
appearance, and his spurs are usually lower than those in other 
species. The fifth toe should be well defined. The hen has no 

individualities. 

The Grey or Speckled Dorking Cock. — The head round, 
and furnished with double or single comb, of bright red; wattles, 
large and pendent; the ear-lobes almost white; hackles, a cream 
white, and the feathers of the hackles dark along the centre; the 
back, grey of different shades, interspersed with black; saddle 
feathers, same as hackles in color; wing feathers, white, mixed 
with black; the larger wing coverts, black; the lesser, brown and 
yellow, shaded with white; breast and thighs, black or dark 
brown; tail feathers, very dark, with a metallic lustre. 

The Grey or Colored Hen. — Face, lighter colored than 
that of the cocks; hackles, black and white; back, dark grey; 
saddle and wing, grey, tipped with black; tail, almost black. 
Five claws and white legs characterize both sexes. 



20 POLAND FOWL. 



POLAND FOWLS. 




WHITE CRESTED BLACK POLISH COCK AND HEN. 

The Polands are excellent layers of perfectly white and mod- 
erately-sized eggs, much pointed at the smaller end. They seem 
to be less inclined to sit than any other breed, and it is judicious 
to put their eggs under other nurses. The chicks of both sexes, 
which are hardly distinguishable for many weeks, are very or- 
namental. The male bird is first distinguished by the tail remain- 
ing depressed, awaiting the growth of the sickle feathers, whereas 
the female carries it uprightly from the first* also, the top-knot 
in the cockerels hangs more backward than in the pullets. 

Their flesh is excellent, being white, tender and juicy. 

During three or four years the cocks in particular increase in 
size, hardihood, and beauty, different in this from fowls gener- 
ally, which advance much more rapidly to their highest points 



POLAND FOWL. 21 

of perfection, but from which they fall away with corresponding 
rapidity. 

The Polands are extremely tender, and so difficult to rear, that 
the eggs should not be set before the middle of May, as dampness 
is fatal to them while very young; but, if they live to be adults, 
no fowls are more hardy, or profitable as layers, or more delicious 
for the table. 

Their demerits are few, and of no serious importance. They 
are not at all suited to dirty farmyards, becoming blind and 
miserable with dirt. They do not lay quite so early in the year 
as other tribes, and are not suited for the office of mothers and 
nurses, from their great disposition to lay; and when they do sit, 
they are rather unsteady and perverse. Now these objections 
may be dismissed, because there is nothing to prevent the sub- 
stitution of hens of other tribes for hatching, and if the Polish 
hens and pullets themselves in the mean time lay eggs, there is 
no loss in an economical point of view. 

"We have good practical authority for stating that the critical 
period of their lives is from the second to the sixth month. 



DESCRIPTION AND VARIETIES. 

The crest of the cock is composed of straight feathers, some- 
thing like those of a hackle or saddle; they grow from the centre 
of the crown and fall over outside, forming a circular crest. That 
of the hen is made up of feathers growing out and turning in at 
the extremities, till they form a large top-knot, which should in 
shape resemble a cauliflower. The comb of the cock is peculiar, 
inasmuch as it is very small, scarcely any on the top of the head, 
and having in front two small spirals or fleshy horns. The car- 
riage is upright, and the breast more protuberant than in any 
other fowl, save the Sebright bantam. The body is very round 
and full, slightly tapering to the tail, which is carried erect, and 



23 



POLAND FOWL. 



which is ample, spreading towards the extremity in the hen, and 
having well defined sickle feathers in the cock. The legs should 
be lead color or black, and rather short than otherwise. 




The varieties among us are the Black; White; the Golden Span- 
gled; and the Silver Spangled. 

Black Polands. — Cock; body, neck, and tail, black, with 
metallic tints of green; crest, white, with a few black feathers 
at the base of the bill; comb, very small, consisting only of two 



SULTAN FOWL. 23 

or three spikes; large wattles, bright red; ear-lobe, white; the 
skull, instead of being flat as in other varieties, has a fleshy pro- 
tuberance or round knob. 

Hen; the same colors; wattles smaller than those of the cock; 
in other points the same. 

White Polands. — These should be pure white all over with 
the exception of the legs which are of a blue or slate color. 

Golden Spangled. — Cock; ground color, very bright ochre 
yellow, black spangles, which, in a particular light, have a beau- 
tiful greenish, tint; crest, chestnut, with a few white feathers, 
black beard; comb and wattles small; hackle and saddle feathers, 
golden yellow; thigh, generally black, but some specimens have 
them spangled; sickle feathers, dark brown and very large, the 
smaller side ones lighter in the colors, and beautifully faced with, 
black; legs, slate color. 

Hens; — general colors the same; breast, neck, and back, span- 
gled; tail and wing feathers, laced. 

Silver Spangled. — The only difference between this variety 
and the preceding one is in the ground, which is a beautiful 
silver white. 

The Polands very often have crooked backs; when buying 
them the best mode for detecting the deformity is to lay the palm 
of the right hand flat on the bird's back, by which any irregu- 
larity of either hip, or a curve in the back bone from the hips to 
the tail will be detected. 



THE SULTAN FOWL. 

The Sultans, or Feather- footed White Polish, are a very ele- 
gant and pleasing variety, and were imported from Constanti- 
nople. They partake of the character of the Polish in their chief 



£4: SULTAN FOWL. 

characteristics, in compactness of form and good laying qualities. 
In general habits they are brisk and happy tempered. They 
are very good layers of large white eggs, but are non-sitters and 
small eaters. 

As adults they are very hardy, with the exception of the ten- 
dency to cold, to which all crested birds are subject when ex- 
posed; but the chickens, from their rapid and early feathering, 
are difficult to rear, evidently suffering severely from the extra 
strain on their young constitutions. 

DESCRIPTION. 

In form they are very plump, full crested, short-legged and 
compact; the plumage pure and unsullied white throughout and 
very abundant; their tails are ample, and carried erect; their 
thighs are short, and furnished with feathers which project 
beyond the joint, or vulture hocked. Their legs are short, white, 
and profusely feathered to the feet, which are five toed. The 
comb consists of two small spikes situated at the base of a full- 
sized globular Polish crest; the wattles are small and red, wrin- 
kled, both sexes being amply bearded. No fowls are more abun- 
dantly decorated — full tail of sickle-feathers, abundant furnish- 
ing, boots, vulture-hocks, beards, whiskers, and full round Polish 
crests, formed of closely-set, silky, arched feathers, not conceal- 
ing the eyes, but leaving them unobscured. 

The legs, as old age approaches, are apt to get red, swollen and 
inflamed, perhaps from the spur growing in a curved form and 
producing irritation. 

All the varieties of the Polish if kept in a damp situation are 
liable to a cold, apt to degenerate into roup, and if they are too 
closely bred, liable to tuberculous diseases and deformity of the 
spine, causing humpback, they are also very subject to vermin 



MALAY FOWL. 25 

unless supplied with a sand bath; vermin, however, may be 
readily destroyed by dusting flour of sulpher under the feathers 
with a common flour-dredger. 



THE MALAY FOWL. 



The Malay is a large heavy fowl, with close fitting plumage; 
it stands very high, and has an upright carriage; height is con- 
sidered a great point in this breed; the head is small for the size 
of the bird, with considerable fulness over the eye, which should 
be pearl, and the hawk bill should be quite free from stain. Like 
the game fowl, the Malays are most pugnacious and determined 
fighters, and therefore not suitable for small yards. If they can 
get no other enemy they will even fight their own shadows. 

The chickens fledge late, and have for a long while a bare, 
wretched appearance. They require a dry, warm temperature, 
as in youth, before being fully feathered, they are very delicate 
and highly susceptible of cold and wet. 

The Malays are good layers and sitters and after they are full 
grown, can be kept most anywhere, but on account of their 
vindictive cruel nature they are by no means desirable to have 
and my advice is, to have nothing to do with them. 



26 



GAME FOWL. 



GAME FOWLS. 




BLACK BREASTED BED GAME FOWLS. 



This noble race has relationship, though now of remote gener- 
ations, with the Malays. Before we had any of this breed, the 
inhabitants of several portions of the Malay or Malacca peninsula, 
and various parts of the East, possessed them, and used them 
chiefly for the purpose of cock-fighting. 

A thorough-bred Game cock of high degree never fails in 
courage when opposed to one of his own order. And the Game 
fowl is the only bird put to the test of combat to prove whether 
he be genuine or not. 



GAME FOWL. 27 

There is a generally recognized standard for form and figure, 
which must not be departed from, whatever variety of color the 
birds may present. In weight they vary; four pounds eight cr 
ten ounces was the weight aimed at by the breeders for the cock- 
pit, but six pounds is often reached, when two years old; but 
beyond this weight impurity of blood may be suspected. 

The carriage and form of the Game cock are certainly more 
beautiful than that of any other variety of domestic fowl. The 
neck is long, strong and gracefully curved; the hackle short and 
very close; the breast broad; the back short, broad across the 
shoulders; the whole body very firm and hard, with a perfectly 
straight breast and back, the latter tapering toward the tail; the 
wings large and powerful, and carried closely pressed into the 
sides; the thighs strong, muscular and short, tightly clothed wit h 
feathers, and well set forward on the body, so as to be available 
for fighting; the shanks rather long, strong but not coarse, cov- 
ered with fine scales; the feet flat and thin, the toes long and 
spreading, so as to give a good hold on the ground; the hind toe 
must be set low down, so as to rest flatly on the ground, and not 
merely touch with the point — a defect which is known as "duck- 
footed, ' ' and renders the bird unsteady when pushed backward 
by his opponent. 

The plumage is compact, hard and mail-like to a remarkable 
degree, and possesses a brilliant glossiness that cannot be sur- 
passed. The tail in the cock is rather long, the sickle feathers 
gracefully arched and carried closely together, the whole tail 
curved backward and not brought forward over the back — a 
defect called squirrel-tailed. 

The head is extremely beautiful, being thin and long, like that 
of a greyhound; the beak massive at its root, strong, and well 
curved; the eye large, very full, and brilliant in lustre; the ear- 
lobe and face of a bright scarlet, and the comb in undubbed 
birds single, erect, and thin. The spur, which is exceedingly 



28 



GAME FOWL. 



dense and sharp, should be set low on the leg, increasing its 
power; spurs are frequently on the hens. 

In the hen, the form, making due allowance for the difference 




of sex and alteration of plumage, resembles that of the cock. 
The head is neater, the face lean and thin. The small thin comb 
should be low in front, evenly serrated, and perfectly erect t 



GAME FOWL. 29 

The deaf-ear and wattles should be small. The neck, from the 
absence of hackle feathers, looks longer and more slender than 
that of her mate. The tail feathers should be held closely- 
together, and not spread out like a fan. The plumage should be 
so close that the form of the wing should be distinctly visible, 
the outline not being hidden by the feathers of the body* 

As the Game fowl is impatient of restraint, a good grass run 
is essential to keep it in good condition. In breeding great* care 
must be taken in matching, as regards form, feather and the 
color of the beak and legs. Much depends upon the purity of 
the hens, for a good Game hen, with a dunghill cock, will breed 
good fighting birds, but the best Game cock, with a dunghill 
hen, will not breed a bird good for anything. It is not desirable 
to mate old birds; a stag, or last year's bird placed with hens 
two or three years old, will produce finer chickens than when 
an old cock is mated with last season's hens. For great excel- 
lence, four hens with one cock is sufficient. 

The hens are good layers and as sitters have no superiors. 
Quiet on their eggs, regular in coining off, and confident, in their 
fearlessness, of repelling intruders, they rarely fail to rear good 
broods, and defend them from violent attacks. 

The newly-hatched chickens are very attractive; those of the 
darker breeds are light brown, with a dark brown stripe down 
the back and a narrower line over the eye. The duck- wings, 
grays and blues have proportionally paler hues, but the stripe is 
seldom absent. 

The chickens feather rapidly, and with good care and liberal, 
varied diet, such as cottage cheese, chopped egg y with a portion 
of onions, bread crumbs, grits, boiled oatmeal, barley and wheat, 
with some milk in the earlier stages of their growth, are reared 
with less difficulty than other fowls. 

As Game fowls will fight, and as they are frequently trained 
for fighting, it is argued that their combs, ear-lobes and wattles 



30 



DOMINIQUE FOWL. 



should be removed, or "dubbed." This had best be entrusted 
to the skilled professional. 

VARIETIES. 

The recognized varieties of Game fowls are — the Black; Black 
breasted Ked; White; White Pile; Blue; Brown-red; KedPile; 
Gray; Spangled; Ginger-red; Silver Duck-whig; Yellow Duck- 
wing. 




DOMINIQUE FOWL. 



BANTAMS. 31 



THE DOMINIQUE FOWL. 

This seems to be a tolerable distinct and permanent variety, 
about the size of the common Dunghill Fowl. Their name is 
taken from the island of Dominica, from which they are reported 
to have been imported. Take all in all, they are one of the very 
best breeds of fowl which we have; and although they do not 
come in to laying so young as the Spanish, they are far better 
sitters and nursers. Their combs are generally double, and the 
wattles are quite small. Their plumage presents, all over, a sort 
of greenish appearance, from a peculiar arrangement of blue and 
white feathers, which is the chief characteristic of the variety; 
although, in some specimens, the plumage is gray in both cock 
and hen. They are very hardy, healthy, excellent layers and 
capital sitters. No fowl have better stood the tests of mixing 
without deteriorating than the pure Dominique. 




SEBRIGHT BANTAM. 



32 HAMBURG FOWL. 

THE BANTAMS. 

Bantams are generally kept more for show and amusement 
than anything else, although, even as profitable poultry they are 
not destitute of merit; in proportion to the food they consume, 
they furnish a fair supply of eggs. As table fowls, the hardy 
little Game Bantams are excellent, plump, fall chested and 
meaty. As useful and ornamental pets, I know of no birds that 
are superior. The Sebright Bantams are the most esteemed by 
fanciers. The cocks should not weigh more than twenty-seven 
ounces; hens about twenty-three, but the lighter in weight the 
more they are appreciated. 

The chicks of the Bantams generally should be hatched in fine 
weather, and kept for some time in a cozy place. 

VARIETIES. 

Golden Sebright; Silver Sebright; Game; Rose-combed Black; 
Hose-combed White; Japanese; Pekin; Booted White; and White- 
crested White Polish. 



GOLDEN SPANGLED HAMBURG COCK AND HEN, 



HAMBURG FOWL. 33 



THE HAMBURG FOWL. 

These fowls are "Everlasting layers" and are seldom inclined 
to sit. They are too small in size to rear for table, and I think 
too delicate when young to rear at all; only they are such won- 
derfully good layers, that one dislikes to dispense with them. 
They are also known as Chittaprats, Bolton Greys, Pencilled 
Dutch, Silver Hamburgs, Creole, Bolton Bays, Golden Ham- 
burgs. They are a very noisy fowl, and if the hen-roost should 
be disturbed at night, nothing but death or liberty will induce 
them to hold the peace. 




SILVER SFANGLED HAMBURGS. 

DESCRIPTION AND VARIETIES. 

The Hamburgs have a graceful and upright carriage. The 
head in the cock is small; beak of a dark color, medium in size; 
rose comb of a deep red color not inclining to droop on either 



34 PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

side, the top covered with small points and ending in a spike; 
ear-lobes, white of medium size; wattles, red; neck curved; 
hackle, large and flowing; body, round; breast, very full; plu- 
mage close and glossy; legs rather short. The varieties are — 
Black; White; Golden Pencilled; Silver Pencilled; Golden 
Spangled; Silver Spangled. 



PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

' " If there is a better breed for the farmer, or for those who 
desire both eggs and chickens, we have failed to find it: although 
many have been tried and 'found wanting.' " 

The great popularity that the Plymouth Rock fowl has attained 
in so short a time, is without a parallel in the annals of gallina- 
culture, and no other breed is so highly esteemed in America 
to-day. It has attained this popularity, too, entirely on its own 
intrinsic merit, without the eclat of foreign origin, or the outlay 
of large sums of money in "puffing." As table fowls, they have 
no equal in America; being exceedingly sweet, juicy, fine-grained, 
tender, and delicate. As spring chickens, they are the very best 
breed, for, added to the excellence of their flesh, they feather 
early, and mature with remarkable rapidity. As market fowls, 
they are unsurpassed, being large (cocks weigh 9 to 11 pounds, 
hens 7 to 9), and very plump bod : es, with full breasts, clean, 
bright yellow legs, and yellow skin; they always command the 
highest price. As egg-producers, they are only excelled by the 
Leghorn class, and lay more eggs than any other breed that 



PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 



35 



hatches and rears its own young, and can be depended upon for 
eggs all the year round. Their eggs are also of large size, very rich, 




and fine -flavored, from white to redish-brown in color. In 
hardiness, both as chicks and mature fowls, they are also 



36 PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

unequaled, and being out-and-out an American breed, they adapt 
themselves to all climates and situations better than any other 
breed. Their combs and wattles being of moderate size, are not 
liable to freeze, and they have no feathers on the lower part of 
their legs to drabble in the snow and mud, and thereby chill 
them. In plumage, they are bluish-gray, each feather distinctly 
penciled across with bars of a darker color, hence are very 
admirable, and not likely to become soiled by the smoke and 
dust of the city. Added to their fine plumage, their symmetrical 
form and upright and pleasing carriage enable them to vie with 
most breeds, either upon the lawn, in the yard of the fancier, or 
in the exhibition hall. As mothers, they are excellent, being 
neither non-sitters nor persistent sitters, are kind and gentle, 
and good foragers. In disposition, they are quiet, gentle, and 
cheerful, bear confinement well, and are easily confined, their 
wings being too small, and bodies too large to admit to much 
progress in fight. If given range, they will find their own living, 
and if confined, need a remarkably small amount of food for 
such large fowls. In fine, this comparatively new breed com- 
bines all the sturdy and excellent qualities of the ideal fowl to a 
wonderful degree, (the merits of the large flesh-producing and 
small egg-producing breeds, ) filling a place long sought for, but 
never before attained, and is a golden mean. It is pre-eminently 
the farmer's and mechanics' fowl — in fact the best fowl for all 
who have facilities for keeping but one variety, and desire that 
one to be a "general purpose" breed. 



LANGSHANS. 



37 



LANGSHANS 




LANGSHAN FOWL. 



The Langshan is the latest acquisition to our poultry yards 
from Asia, and, judging from our experience with other Asiatic 
breeds, their origin certainly augers well for their future in this 
country. They are natives of northern China, and consequently 
accustomed to its rugged climate. 

The discoverer of this variety in China was a scientist in the 
employ of the British government, and not a "chicken fancier," 
particularly. Eight years ago, he wrote thus to his English 
friends: "I send you some fine fowls by the steamer Archilles, 
of Hall & Holt's line. They are clear black, and are called Lang- 
shans. Look out for their arrival and send for them without 



38 LANGSHANS. 

delay.' ' * * * A second letter stated that "the fowls I am 
sending you are very fine. Their plumage is of a bright glossy 
black. I have never seen any like them before, and I am told 
their flesh is excellent. The Chinese say they are allied to the 
wild turkey; they are very valuable birds. You must be very 
careful of them, and get them acclimated by degrees." 

These birds we sent to Major A. C. Croad, Durington Worth- 
ing, England, from his nephew, who was, a few years ago, upon 
an exploring expedition under orders from the English govern- 
ment, in the north of China, where he discovered this fine variety 
of fowls, in the province of Langshan, and sent home the first 
that were ever seen in England. 

Upon the arrival of the Archilles, in England, Major Croad 
lost no time in sending for his birds ; and the messenger, on his 
return, informed him that the new arrivals had received quite an 
ovation in the docks, people crowding to have a look at them, 
asking what breed they were, and whether they were for sale, 
etc. The captain of the steamer told him that, although he had 
been several times to china, he had never met with any fowls 
like these before. 

The Langshans were publicly exhibited the next year at the 
Crystal Palace and other leading shows, and were bred success- 
fully for three or four years, the stock being kept under the 
supervision of the agents of the original importer. 

They were of late years imported to America, and our Ameri- 
can fanciers speak well of them ; in fact they are the best birds 
that were ever imported from China. Langshans have straight 
red combs, somewhat larger than those of Cochins. Their 
breast is full, broad and round, and carried well forward, being 
well meated, similar to the Dorkings. Their body is round and 
deep like the Brahmas. The universal color of the plumage is a 
rich metallic black. The tail is long, full feathered, and of the 
same color as the body. The color of their legs is a blue black, 



WYANDOTTES. 39 

with a purplish tint between the toes. The average weight of a 
cockerel, at seven or eight months, when fattened, is about ten 
pounds; and a pullet about eight pounds. Their carriage is sty- 
lish and stately. 

The good qualities claimed for the Langshans are the follow- 
ing: They are hardy, withstanding readily even severest weather. 
They attain maturity quite as early as any of the large breeds. 
They lay large, rich eggs all the year round, and are not inveter- 
ate sitters. Being of large size, with white flesh and skin, they 
make an excellent table fowl; more especially so on account of 
the delicacy of the flavor which the flesh possesses. To briefly 
summarize, I may then say that this breed is worth the attention 
of all. Firstly, because they come from a part of the world 
which has given us many of our most excellent breeds; and 
secondly, because their popularity is in the ascendency, and they 
seem to combine in themselves nearly all the valuable charac- 
teristics that go to make up a practically useful fowl. 

1 give in connection with this article a wood-cut of a pair of 
Langshans, believing that a faithful illustration will do more 
to give an accurate idea than even an extended description. It 
will be observed that, apparently, they are more like the Black 
Cochin than any other breed with which we are familiar, but 
in reality they differ very essentially from them. 



WYANDOTTES. 



This new breed have so many points to recommend them, both 
to the fancier and farmer, that they will surely become very 



40 



WYAKDOTTES. 



popular. Their plumage is white, heavily laced with black* 
the tail alone being solid black; the lacing on the breast 
is peculiarly handsome. They have a small rose comb, close- 




TIIE WYAKDOTTES. 



fitting; face and ear lobes bright red. Their legs are 
free from feathers and are of a rich yellow color. In shape 
they bear more resemblance to the Dorkings than any other 



LEGHORN FOWL. 



41 



breed. Hens weigh 8 to 9 pounds, cocks 9 to 10 pounds, when 
full grown. They are very hardy, mature early, and are ready 
to market at any age. Their flesh is very fine flavored and close 
grained, which, with their yellow skin, model shape and fine, 
plump appearance, particularly adapts them for market. They 
are extraordinary layers, surprising every breeder at the quan- 
tity of eggs they produce. If allowed to sit they make most 
careful mothers, are content anywhere, and will not attempt to 
fly over a fence four feet high. Their great beauty and good 
qualities will make for them a host of friends wherever the breed 
is introduced. 



THE LEGHORN FOWL. 




HOSE COMB BROWN LEGHORN. 



42 



LEGHORN FOWL. 



This abmirablo breed of fowls has become widely disseminated 
in the United States. They are valued for their many good 
qualities, among which are beauty and constant laying propensi- 
ties. 




BROWN LEGHORN COCK. 



They are very hardy fowls, possessing all the advantages of 
the Spanish without their drawbacks. Their legs are bright 
yellow, and perfectly free from feathering on the shanks. The 
faces are red, the ear lobes only being white. The comb in the 
cock is thin, erect and evenly serrated. In the hen it falls over 
like that of a Spanish hen. The tail in the cock is exceedingly 
well furnished with side sickle-feathers, and in both sexes is 
carried perfectly erect. The birds are active, good foragers, 



LEGHORN FOWL. 



43 



and have a very handsome and sprightly carriage. They are 
abundant layers of full sized eggs, the hens rarely showing any 
inclination to sit, but laying the whole year round, except during 
the annual month. The chickens are very hardy; they feather 
quickly and mature rapidly, thus having the advantage over the 
Spanish. 




BROWN LEGHORN HEN. 



These fowls are exceedingly useful as well as ornamental 
addition to our stock of poultry; they are more valuable to egg- 
farmers than breeders of table fowls, as they are but small eaters 
and so do not put on flesh quickly. To people, however, who 
depend on their poultry bringing them a constant supply of eggs, 
they are invaluable. 



44 FRENCH BREEDS. 

LEGHORN VARIETIES. 

Black ; White ; Brown, and Dominiques. 




LEGHORN FOWL. 



THE FREXCH BREEDS. 



Crevecceurs. — These birds are generally* supposed to be of 
Norman origin, and to owe their name to the little village of 
Crevecceurs, not far from Lisieux. They are fine, well plumaged 



FRENCH BREEDS. 45 

black birds, with large crests on their heads, in the front of which 
are situated the two horns, or spikes, which arise from the 
bifurcation of the comb. They give the bird a very curious 
look, and make his head resemble the pictures of that of his 
Satanic majesty. The birds are well shaped, with rather large 
legs of a leaden grey color. The hens lay large white eggs, 
but are not good sitters. The pullets mature early, and as they 
lay soon, put on fat readily, and are of a good shape for table ; 
they are, in dry warm localities, profitable fowls to keep; they 
bear confinement well, but are rather difficult to rear, and have 
a decided tendency to "roup.,' If crossed with Brahmas or 
Leghorns they might probably become more hardy. 



LA FLECHE FOWLS. 

These birds may be considered, I think, the best of the 
French fowls for table ; they are also more hardy than the 
Crevecoeurs, and have more size and more style, being 
handsome, upstanding birds, in color jet black, with rich, me- 
tallic plumage; their ear lobes are large and perfectly white, 
their faces bright red and free from feathers. The comb in 
good well-bred birds does not vary with the sex, and is in the 
shape of a pair of straight horns; the leg-scales are lead color, 
hard and firm. The cocks are tall without being at all leggy; 
the hens have large and rather long bodies, longish necks, and 
thin clean legs. The best specimens come from the North of 
France, though they are not even there easy to procure, as the 
French do not go in for keeping the different breeds of fowls 
distinct, so it is hard to obtain really pure-bred birds. 



46 



FRENCH BREEDS. 



HOUDANS 




HOUDAN COCK AND HEN. 



These are considered the best French fowls, and of late years 
have become great favorites with poultry-fanciers. They have, 
like the Dorkings, five claws on each foot ; their plumage is black 
and white, shaded with violet and green ; they are crested birds, 
the crest turning backwards over the neck ; their cheeks are well 
feathered, and wattles well developed. They differ from other 
species by several remarkable traits, the head forms a very 
obtuse angle with the neck, so that the beak is depressed and 
viewed from above appears like a nose. The flat square comb 
looks like a fleshy forehead; the cheeks are surrounded with 
curling feathers which resemble whiskers; the reversed corners 
of the beak have the appearance of a mouth. The crest looks 
like a head of hair, and the entire visage instantly reminds the 
spectator of a man's face. 



DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



47 



Houdans are hardy, not difficult to rear good steady layers, 
but non-sitters ; they put on fat readily, and are very good table 
fowls, flesh excellent and shapely in form. 



THE DOMESTIC TURKEY. 




DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



The domestic turkey can scarcely be said to be divided, like 
the common fowl, into distinct breeds ; although there is consi- 
derable variation in color, as well as in size. The finest and 



48 DOMESTIC TURKEY. 

strongest birds are those of a bronzed-black ; these are not only- 
reared the most easily, but are generally the largest, and fatten 
the most rapidly. Some turkeys are of a coppery tint, some of a 
delicate fawn-color, while others are parti-colored, grey, and 
white, and some few of a pure snow white. All of the latter 
are regarded as inferior to the black, their color indicating some- 
thing like degeneracy of constitution. 

To describe the domestic turkey is superfluous; the voice of 
the male; the changing colors of the skin of the head and neck; 
his proud strut, with expanded tail and lowered wings, jarring 
on the ground; his irascibility, which is readily excited by red 
or scarlet colors, are points with which all who d^ell in the 
country are conversant. 

The adult turkey, is extremely hardy, and bears the rigors of 
winter with impunity even in the open air; for during the 
severest weather, flocks will frequently roost at night upon the 
roof of a barn, or the branches of tall trees, preferring such an 
accommodation to an indoor roost. The impatience of restraint 
and restlessness of the turkey, render it unfit company for fowls 
in their domitory; in fact the fowl house is altogether an im- 
proper place for these large birds, which require open sheds and 
high perches, and altogether as much freedom as is consistent 
with their safety. 

Although, turkeys will roost even during the winter months 
on trees, it is by no means recommended that this should be 
allowed, as the feet of these birds are apt to become frostbitten 
from such exposure to the air on the sudden decline of the tem- 
perature far below the freezing point. 

Turkeys are fond of wandering about pastuies, and the borders 
of fields, or in fact any place where they can find insects, snails, 
slugs, etc., which they greedily devour. In the morning, they 
should have a good supply of grain, and after their rerurn from 
their peregrinations another feed; by this plan, not only will the 



DOMESTIC TURKEY 49 

due return home of the flock be insured, but the birds will be 
kept in good condition, and ready at any time to be put upon 
fattening diet. Never let them be in poor condition — this is an 
axiom in the treatment of all poultry — it is difficult, and takes a 
long time, to bring a bird into proper condition, which has been 
previously poorly fed or half starved. 

The turkey hen is a steady sitter; nothing will induce her to 
leave the nest; indeed, she often requires to be removed to her 
food, so overpowering is her instinctive affection; she must be 
freely supplied with water within her reach; should she lay any 
eggs after she has commenced incubation, these should be 
removed — it is proper, therefore, to mark those which were 
given^to her to sit upon. The hen should now on no account, be 
rashly disturbed; no one except the person to whom she is accus- 
tomed, and from whom she receives her food, should be allowed 
to go near her, and the eggs, unless circumstances imperatively 
require it, should not be meddled with. 

The hen usually sits twice in the year, after laying from a 
dozen to fifteen or more eggs, on alternate days, or two days in 
succession, with the interval of one day afterwards, before each 
breeding. She commences her first laying in March; and if a 
second early laying is desired, after she has hatched her brood, 
it is economical to transfer the chicks immediately after they 
leave the shell to another turkey-hen which had begun to incu- 
bate contemporaneously with her, and will now take willing 
charge of the two young families. This, however, cannot be 
viewed as a benevolent proceeding; and much less so if the 
mother be deprived of her offspring, and the consequent pleas- 
ure of rearing them, for the purpose of putting a fresh set of 
eggs under her, which she will steadily hatch for three or four 
weeks more. In this case, however, fowls ' eggs are usually 
given, from merciful consideration to abridge the period of incu- 
bation from thirty-cne to twenty-one days. 



50 DOMESTIC TURKEY. 

According to the size of the hen, the season, and the range 
local temperature, the number of eggs for each hatch may be 
stated at from eleven to seventeen; thirteen is a fair average 
number. As the hen lays them, her eggs should be immedi- 
ately removed, and kept apart until the time for sitting them; 
else the awkward bird might break them in the nest, as she 
goes in or out of it. "While she is incubating, the cock bird 
should not be permitted to approach it, lest he should mischiev- 
ously break the eggs or disturb the hen. 

On about the thirtieth day, the chicks leave the eggs; the 
little ones for some hours will be in no hurry to eat; but when 
they do begin, supply them constantly and abundantly with 
chopped eggs, shreds of meat and fat, curd, boiled rice, mixed 
with lettuce, and the green of onions. Melted mutton suet 
poured over barley or Indian-meal dough, and cut up when cold 
is an excellent thing. Little turkeys do not like their food to be 
minced much smaller than they can swallow it; indolently pre- 
ferring to make a meal at three or four mouthfuls to troubling 
themselves with the incessant pecking and scratching in which 
chickens so much delight. But at any rate, the quantity con- 
sumed costs but little ; the attention to supply it is everything. 

As in the case of young fowls, the turkey chicks do not require 
food for several hours after they have emerged from their shells. 

It is useless to cram them as some do, fearing lest they should 
starve; and besides, the beak is as yet so tender that it runs a 
chance of being injured by the process. There is no occasion 
for alarm if, for thirty hours, they content themselves with the 
warmth of their parent and enjoy her care. When the chicks 
feel an inclination for food, it will soon become apparent to you 
by their actions, then feed them as I have before directed. 

FATTENING. 

About the middle of September or the first of October, it will 



DOMESTIC TURKEY. 51 

be time to begin to think of fattening some of the earliest broods, 
in order to supply the markets. A hen will be four or five weeks 
in fatting; a large cock two months or longer, in reaching his 
full weight. The best diet is barley or Indian meal, mixed with 
water, given in troughs that have a flat board over them, to keep 
dirt from falling in. A turnip with the leaves attached, or a 
hearted cabbage, may now and then be thrown down to amuse 
them. "When they have arrived at the desired degree of fatness, 
those which are not wanted for immediate use must have no 
more food given them than is just sufficient to keep them in 
that state; otherwise the flesh will become red and inflamed, 
and of course less palatable and wholesome. But with the very 
best management, after having attained their acme of fattening, 
they will frequently descend again, and that so quickly, and 
without apparent cause, as to become quite thin. Turkeys fatten 
faster, and with less expense, by caponizing them, which, also, 
produces better and sweeter flesh. 



52 



GUINEA FOWL. 



THE GUINEA FOWL 




THE GUINEA FOWL. 



Of all known birds, this, perhaps is the most prolific of eggs. 
Week after week and month after month see little or no inter- 
mission of the daily deposit. Even the process of moulting is 
sometimes insufficient to draw off the nutriment the creature 
takes to make feathers instead of eggs. From their great apti- 
tude for laying, and also from the very little disposition they show 
to sit, it is believed, that these birds in their native country, 
(Africa) do not sit at all on their eggs, but leave them to be 
hatched by the sun. 

It is not every one who knows a cock from a hen of this 
species. An unerring rule is, that the hen alone uses the call 
note "comeback," "comeback," accenting the second syllable 



GUINEA FOWL. 53 

strongly. The cock has only the harsh shrill cry of alarm, 
which, however, is also common to the female. 

There is one circumstance, in regard to the habits of the guinea 
cock, that is, he pairs only with his mate in most cases, like a 
partridge or a pigeon. In the case where a guinea cock and two 
hens are kept, it will be found, on close observation, that though 
the three keep together so as to form one pack, yet that the cock 
and one hen will be unkind and stingy to the other unfortunate 
female, keep her at a certain distance, merely suffering her 
society. The neglected hen will lay eggs, in appearance, like 
those of the other, in the same nest. If they are to be eaten, all 
well and good; but if a brood is wanted and the eggs of the 
despised one chance to be taken for the purpose of hatching, the 
result is disappointment and addled eggs. 

It is best to hatch the eggs of the guinea fowl under a hen of 
some other species; a Bantam hen makes a first class mother, 
being lighter, and less likely to injure the eggs by treading on 
them than a full sized fowl. She will well cover nine eggs, and 
incubation will last about a month. 

Feed the chicks frequently, five or six times a day is not too 
often, they have such extraordinary powers of digestion, and 
their growth is so rapid, that they require food every two hours. 
A check once received can never be recovered. In such cases 
they do not mope and pine, for a day or two, like young turkeys 
under similar circumstances and then die ; but in half an hour after, 
being in apparent health, they fall on their backs, give a convul- 
sive kick or two, and fall victims to starvation. Hard-boiled 
egg, chopped fine, small worms, bread crumbs, chopped meat, 
or suet, whatever, in short, is most nutritious, is their most 
appropriate food. 



54 



DOMESTIC GOOSi.. 



THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 




THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 



"With respect to the range and accommodation of geese, they 
require a house apart from other fowls, and a green pasture, 
with a convenient pond or stream of water attached. The house 
must he situated in a dry place, for geese at all times, are fond 
of a clean, dry place to sleep in, however much they may like to 
swim in water. It is not a good method to keep geese with other 
poultry; for when confined in the poultry-yard, they become very 
pugnacious, and will very much harrass the hens and turkeys. 

In allowing geese to range at large, it is well to know that they 
are very destructive to all garden and farm crops, as well as to 



DOMESTIC GOOSE. 55 

young trees, and must, therefore, be carefully excluded from 
orchards and cultivated fields* It is usual to prevent them get- 
ting through the gaps in fences, by hanging a stick or "yoke" 
across their breast. 

Those who breed geese, generally assign one gander to four or 
five females. When well fed, in a mild climate, geese will lay 
twice or three times a year, from five to twelve eggs each time, 
and some more, that is, when they are left to their own way; but 
if the eggs be carefully removed as soon as laid, they may be 
made, by abundant feeding, to lay from twenty to fifty eggs 
without intermitting. They begin to lay early in the spring, 
usually in March, and it may be known when an individual is 
about to lay, by her carrying about straws to form her nest with; 
but, sometimes, she will only throw them about. 

"When a goose is observed to keep her nest longer than usual, 
after laying an egg, it is a pretty sure indication that she is 
desirous of sitting. The nest for hatching should be made of 
clean straw, lined with hay, and from fourteen to eighteen eggs 
will be as many as a large goose can conveniently cover. She sits 
about one month, and requires to have food and water placed 
near her, that she may not be so long absent as to allow the eggs 
to cool. The most economical way of getting a great number of 
goslings, is to employ turkey hens to hatch, and keeping the 
goose well fed she will continue laying. 

Goslings must be kept from cold and rain as much as pos- 
sible. Feed them on barley or Indian meal or crusts of bread 
soaked in milk. 



VARIETIES. 

African; Toulouse; Embden; Egyptian; White Chinese; Brown 
Chinese. 



58 



DUCK. 



THE DUCK, 




MUSCOVY DUCK. 



It is not in all situations that Ducks can be kept with advan- 
tage; they require water much more, even, than the goose; they 
are no grazers, yet they are hearty feeders. Nothing comes 
amiss to them in the way of food: green vegatables; kitchen 
scraps; meal of all sorts made into a paste; grains; bread; worms; 
insects; all are accepted with eagerness. Their appetite is not at 
all fastidious; in fact they eat most everything, and eat all they 
oan. They never need cramming, give them enough, and they 
will cram themselves; but remember, confinement will not do 
for them; they must have room, and plenty of it, also a large 



DUCK. 57 

pond or stream, if you have these requirements they can be kept 
at little expense. 

Where they have much extent of water or shrubbery to roam 
over, they should be looked after and driven home at night, and 
provided with proper houses or pens; otherwise they are liable 
to lay and sit abroad. As they usually lay either at night, or 
very early in the morning, it is a good way to secure their eggs, 
to confine them during the period when they must lay, a circum- 
stance easily ascertained by feeling the vent. 




COMMON DUCK. 



The duck is not naturally disposed to incubate, but in order 
to induce her to do so, you may, towards the end of the laying, 
leave two or three eggs in the nest, taking care every morning 
to take away the oldest laid, that they may not be spoiled. 
When she shows a desire to sit, from eight to ten eggs may be 



58 DUCK. 

given according to the size of the duck, and her ability to cover 
them. The duck requires some care when she sits; for as she 
cannot go to her food, attention must be paid to place it before 
her; and she will be content with it, whatever be its quality; it 
has been remarked that when ducks are too well fed, they will not 
sit well. The period of incubation is about thirty days. 




WILD DUCK. 



The duck is apt to let her eggs get cold, when she hatches 
and many thereby are lost, this together with the fact of her 
often leading the ducklings into the water immediately after 
they are excluded from the shell and thus losing many if the 
weather is cold, often induces poultry keepers to have duck eggs 
hatched by hens or turkey hens; and being more assiduous than 
ducks, these borrowed mothers take an affection for the young, 
to watch over, which requires great attention because as these 
are unable to accompany them on the water, for which they show 
the greatest propensity as soon as they are excluded, they follow 
the mother hen on dry land, and get a little hardy before they 
are allowed to take to the water without any guide. 

The best mode of rearing ducklings depends very much upon 
the situation in which they are hatched. For the first month, 



DUCK. 59 

the confinement of their mother, under a coop is better than too 
much liberty. All kinds of sopped food, buckwheat flour, Indian 
or barley meal and water mixed thin, worms, &c, suit them. 

When ducklings have been hatched under a common hen, or 
a turkey hen and have at last been allowed to go into the water, 
it is necessary, to prevent accidents, to take care that such duck- 
lings come regularly home every evening; but precautions must 
be taken before they are permitted to mingle with the old ducks 
lest the latter ill-treat and kill them, though ducks are by no 
means so pugnacious and jealous of new-comers as common fowls 
uniformly are. 

VARIETIES. 

Rouen Ducks. — The flesh is abundant and of good flavor; good 
specimens will dress from five to seven pounds each. 

Aylesbury Ducks. — These are considered the most valuable 
of the English breeds and is well thought of in this country. 
They are good layers, but do not weigh quite as much as the 
Rouen breed. 

Cayuga Ducks — These are the finest of the American breeds, 
they are also the largest and most valuable of the duck family. 
They weigh generally from eight to ten pounds, are good layers, 
and easily raised. 

The other varieties are the Mandarin; Carolina; Muscovy; Call 
Duck; Black East India. 

The duck is peculiarly the poor man's bird (its hardihood ren- 
ders it so entirely independant of that care which fowls perpet- 
ually require) ; and indeed of all those classes of persons in humble 
life, who have sloppy offal of some sort left from their meals, 
and who do not keep a pig to consume it. Ducks are the best 
save- waste for them; even the refuse of potatoes, or any other 
vegetables will satisfy a duck, which thankfully accepts, and 
with a degree of good virtue which it is pleasant to contemplate, 



60 DUCK. 

swallows whatever is presented to it, and very rarely occasions 
trouble. Though fowls must be provided with a roof and a 
decent habitation, and supplied with corn, which is costly, the 
cottage garden waste, and the snails and slugs which are gener- 
ated there, with the kitchen scraps and offal, furnish the hardy 
ducks with the means of subsistence. And at night they require 
no better lodgings than a nook in an open shed; if a house be 
expressly made for them, it need not necessarily be more than 
a few feet in height, nor of better materials than rough boards 
and clay mortar, a door being useless^ unless to secure them 
from thieves. 



POINTS OP POULTRY. 



61 




POINTS OF POULTRY. 

A — Neck hackle. B — Saddle hackle. C — Tail. D — Breast. 
E — Upper Wing coverts. F— Lower "Wing coverts. G — Pri- 
mary quills. H— Thighs. I— Legs. K— Comb. L — Wattles. 
J/— Ear-lobe. 



62 DICTIONARY. 



Dictionary of Poultry Terms, 



Beard. — A bunch of feathers under the throat of some breeds, 
as Houdans or Polish. 

Breed. — Any variety of fowl presenting distinct characteris- 
tics. 

Brood. — The number of birds hatched at once; a family of 
young chickens. 

Broody. — When the hen desires to sit she is said to be 
broody. 

Carriage. — The upright attitude or bearing of a fowl. 

Carunculated. — Having a fleshy excrescence or protuber- 
ances, as on the neck of a turkey-cock. 

Chick. — A very young fowl. 

Chicken. — A name applied to fowls until they are full grown. 

Clutch. — The eggs placed under a sitting hen, also the brood 
hatched therefrom. 

Cockerel. — A young cock. 

Cock. — The full grown male bird. 

Comb. — The crest or red fleshy tuft growing on top of a 
fowl's head. 

Crest. — A top-knot of feathers, as on the head of the Polands. 

Crop. — The first stomach of a fowl, through which the food 
must pass before the process of digestion begins. 

Deaf-ears. — Folds of skin hanging from the true ears, vary- 
ing in color. 

Dubbing. — To cut off the comb, wattles, &c, leaving the head 
smooth. 

Ear-Lobes. — Folds of skin hanging from the ears. 



DICTIONARY. 63 

Face. — The bare skin extending from the top of the bill 
around the eyes. 

Flight-feathers. — The primary wing feathers, used in 
flying. 

Fluffs. — The downy feathers around the thighs. 

Gills. — A term sometimes applied to the wattles; the flap 
that hangs below the beak. 

Hackles. — The peculiar narrow feathers on a fowl's neck. 

Hen-feathered. — A cock, which owing to the absence of 
sickle feathers resembles a hen. 

Henny. — The same as hen- feathered. 

Hock. — The elbow joint of the leg. 

Keel. — The breast bone. 

Leg. — The shank. 

Leg-feathers.— Feathers growing on the outside of the 
shank. 

Mossy. — Uncertain marking. 

Pea-comb. — A tripple comb. 

Penciling. — Small stripes running over a feather. 

Poult. — A young turkey. 

Primaries. — The same as flight-feathers. 

Pullet. — A young hen. 

Rooster. — A word used in the United States to designate the 
male fowl ; generally called cock. 

Saddle. — The posterior of the back, the feathers that cover it 
are termed saddle-feathers. 

Secondaries. — The quill-feathers of the wing, which show 
when the fowl is at rest. 

Shank. — The leg. 

Sickle-feathers. — The upward curving feathers of a cock's 
tail. 

Spangled. — Spots on each feather of a different color from 
that of the ground color of the feather. 



64 DICTIONARY. 

Spur. — A sharp bone protruding from the heel of a cock. 

Strain. — A race of fowls that has been bred for years un- 
mixed with other breeds. 

Tail-coverts. — The curved feathers at the sides of the bottom 
of the tail. 

Tail-feathers.— The straight feathers of the taiL 

Thighs. — The upper part of the shanks. 

Top-knot. — The same meaning as crest. 

Trio. — One cock and two hens. 

Vulture-hock. — Stiff projecting feathers at the hock-joint. 

Wattles. — The red fleshy excrescence that grows under the 
throat of a cock or a turkey. 

"Wing-bar. — A dark line across the middle of the wing. 

Wing-coverts. — The feathers covering the roots of the second- 
ary quills. 



POULTRY-KEEPING. 65 



POULTRY-KEEPING. 



Any person who takes up poultry-keeping should have some 
end in view; should either keep fowls for showing and prize- 
taking, or for laying and fattening. Fowls for domestic use and 
fowls for exhibition are two totally different things, and call for 
entirely different methods of treatment. 

In this small book I wish to adhere as much as possible to the 
business of poultry-keeping on a small scale within the means 
of all people living in the country, and having a little ground of 
their own. 

If there is a farm-yard to fall back on, and the birds are not 
kept by themselves, but are allowed to run with the other in- 
mates of that yard, having a hen-house in which to roost, lay, 
and sit, then your cares are reduced to a minimum. As all who 
might and should keep poultry, have, however, no farm, but only 
a garden and a plot of ground, I will not say any more about 
the old farmyard system, but suppose that the fowls have to be 
kept on a small scale without the foregoing advantages. Much 
depends on the purpose for which fowls are kept, if for show 
and prize-taking, or merely for domestic uses, for table and for 
eggs. 

If for show, then the different breeds must be kept thoroughly 
pure, entirely distinct, and great attention given to points 
generally. A higher class of fowl must be purchased in the 
first instance; the diet must be more generous, size being a great 
point with judges; and the whole business of poultry-keeping is 



6(3 POULTKY-KEEPING. 

placed on a more costly footing, and becomes an expensive and 
but rarely a remunerative amusement; whereas in merely keep- 
ing a small stock of fowls for table use — the first and original 
outlay of purchase and house-building overcome — you should, 
and can easily, have, with a little trouble, a small profit each 
month after the necessary food is paid for. 

I have done both myself: kept fowls for general use — ordinary 
common birds, mostly cross-bred — and kept purely-bred birds to 
show, and I have no hesitation in saying that the former is the 
best plan, unless, of course, you are a poultry fancier and have 
money enough to allow you to indulge your mania for prize birds; 
then, with highly-bred stock, you may look to the sale of eggs 
and the taking of prizes to, in a measure, recoup you for your 
outlay. I was fairly successful with the high-class birds I 
purchased, and got good prices for the sitting of eggs I sold, as 
also for the birds themselves when I parted with them; but I 
cannot honestly say I consider the keeping up of select and dis- 
tinct sorts is worth the trouble it entails — that is, if you do the 
work of looking after them yourself. Mine, I know — I 
could not afford to keep a poultry-man — led me a sad 
dance. I was always in trouble with them; they had separate 
houses and runs, but unless I was near while the different sorts 
were having their outing there was sure to be some disturbance, 
a fight between the cocks through the bars and netting, and this 
very likely occurred just before I wanted to show one of them, 
when featherless heads and wounded bleeding combs would be 
the result; and the hens too were nearly as pugilistic. Some one 
will probably remark, " Mismanagement. " Possibly; but I had 
not all the proper arrangements a regular prize poultry-breeder 
would have, and even in the very best regulated poultry-yards 
accidents will, we know, occur, and so these creatures were a 
perpetual torment to me. 



POULTRY-KEEPING. 67 

And when, after an interval of some years, I began poultry- 
keeping again, I started on an entirely different plan and on a 
very small scale. It is from my experience then gained that I 
offer the following hints to those living in the country who wish 
to keep poultry and yet do not mean to incur much expense in 
so doing. 

For general use I would say do not keep entirely to pure-bred 
birds, but mix them with others; a good cross-breed is often 
more desirable than a really pure breed; not only are the fowls 
resulting from the cross stronger and less likely to become sickly 
and degenerate, but you can, by a judicious selection in the cross 
you allow, counteract many of the qualities you do not consider 
quite desirable. 



BEST BREEDS FOR MARKET. 



I do not believe there are any better market fowl, all things 
considered than the Langshans, next comes the Brahmas. The 
Dorkings are a superior table fowl, but are tender and hard to 
rear. 



EGG PRODUCERS. 



The Black Spanish; Polands; Houdans and Hamburgs are all 
inveterate layers; but the Black Spanish and Hamburgs are 



6S POULTRY-KEEPING. 

rather tender, and more fit for the fancier than for the practical 
man. For a desirable "all round" breed, I should recommend 
the Plymouth Rocks. At any rate I have described the different 
breeds, given you their good and bad points, and you may take 
your choice. 



SORTS FOR SMALL YARDS. 



If you have only a limited space to allow for your birds, do not 
keep too many at first. Possibly, as you find your poultry 
answer, you may wish to considerably increase your stock, and 
so will have to enlarge your premises, which by that time you 
may be able to do; besides, you will have gained experience 
during the time you have been looking after a limited number, 
and will have learned many things respecting the nature of fowls, 
their habits, diseases, constitutions, and general characteristics, 
of which before you were entirely ignorant. 

My own opinion is, I own, entirely against a very large poultry- 
farm. I should always prefer having a small one under my own 
immediate eye to possessing a quantity of birds and being obliged 
to keep a man or woman to look after them. 

If people want to lose money by poultry let them mass them in 
numbers, and they will soon gain the desired result. If, on the 
contrary, they will be content with modest profits, and patiently 
turn over pennies instead of expecting to turn over dollars, then 
let them keep poultry on a small scale, attend to them themselevs, 



POULTRY-KEEPING. 69 

spare no pains or trouble in looking after and thoroughly under- 
standing the requirements of their stock, and they need not 
fear but that the result will be satisfactory. 

To buy pens, nests, rent land, pay a man to look after the 
stock, waste money in sundries and expensive food, buy useless 
items, and hand over all trouble to subordinates, is not the way 
to make poultry pay. 

While, on the other hand, to look after a little poultry-yard 
yourself, to vary the food by economising all kitchen refuse, 
buying up cargo rice and second-class grain — which is really 
quite good enough for fowls, and jbetter suited to them than very 
good barley, oats, or wheat — never to allow food to be wasted, 
nor to keep an old and useless stv,ck, is the way to insure certain 
small profits, if those will content you. 

In trying to grasp too much you stand a chance of losing even 
more than the original outlay. A great many people, who have 
now little plots of ground suitable for fowls, but standing empty, 
are deterred from keeping poultry by the idea that it is so expen- 
sive a proceeding, and that they will eventually be out of pocket 
by it. So they will, certainly, if they commence on too large a 
scale; but if they began with a dozen or two dozen fowls, and 
and kept the original stock down to that number, only allowing 
the chickens for killing during the season, and pullets for laying 
to swell the numbers each year, then we should hear less about 
poultry expenses, and more about eggs and chickens. 

Now with regard to commencing operations. Brahmas, Leg- 
horns, Plymouth Rocks and Langshans are the fowls I should 
keep. Brahmas as winter layers, good sitters, and good mothers; 
Plymouth Rocks as good all round, and Langshans are especially 
for table. 

The number of hens I would allow to each cock would be; 
Leghorns, twelve hens to each cock; Brahmas, eight hens to one 
cock; Plymouth Rocks, six hens to one cock; Langshans, six 
hens to one cock. 



70 FIRST OUTLAY, 



THE FIRST OUTLAY. 



If you have an adaptable outhouse, which can, with a little 
contrivance and a little money spent on it, be turned into a fowl- 
house, you are indeed lucky, for you will then for a few dollars, 
say fifteen at the outside, be able to fit it with perches and nests, 
and see to the flooring, roofing and ventilation. 

Your nests, of strong wickerwork or straw, will not cost you 
more than 25 cents each. You should have twelve at first. 
You can easily have more if you want them for sitting purposes, 
but you certainly will not require a nest for each hen. An old 
saucepan for cooking the food your kitchen will probably sup- 
ply. Your water-pans should be of common strong yellow 
stoneware. 

If you have no run, you must inclose one with wire, and this 
will be rather expensive; but your fowls, if they are to be kept 
in a certain degree of confinement, must have exercise, so a run 
or yard is an absolute necessity. 

You should have a door in the run, at one of the ends adjoin- 
ing the house, and a door besides in the house itself, with an 
opening in it, closed by a slide, for the fowls to go in and out as 
they like. 

In the run must be the sheltered place for the dust-bath and 
for the birds to run under in case of rain. {See "Houses and 



FIRST OUTLAY. 71 

Yards.") This inclosure I should not have covered at the top. 
The height of three rows of wire, one on top of the other — L 
e.j 72 inches — will be quite high enough to prevent heavy birds 
getting out over; and the Hamburghs, who are by nature great 
roamers, must have their wings clipped; it will not improve their 
appearance, but, as they are not kept for showing, that will not 
much matter. The wire netting you will be able to fix yourself 
with a little help, unless you are lone women in the house, in 
which case you will have to get some man who is clever at doing 
odds and ends of work to help you. 

It is a fatal error to cramp fowls. Better far to have a small 
healthy family of poultry than a large sickly one. If a few birds 
are well looked after and made comfortable they will be more 
likely to pay than a number badly kept and allowed too little 
room. 

If from want of space or want of money you can only keep a 
few fowls, do not be discouraged. A cock and a couple or three 
or four hens will not eat much, but on the principle of "every 
little helps" the eggs and two or three broods of chickens from 
them in the year will be something; they will give you amusement 
in looking after them, and if you do not sell but merely eat the 
eggs and the chickens, they will help out the household bills and 
pay for the extra food you will require ; for with only three or 
four birds, household scraps, if carefully economised, and a little 
grain daily, will be quite enough to keep them healthy. 

There are a great number of poultry-books, and very excellent 
ones too; but most of them are written with the object of instruc- 
ting would-be poultry-keepers in the method of keeping a large 
number of fowls, but few hints being given to people who can 
only afford to keep a few, and those not for exhibition and show, 
but really for use. It is, however just these small poultry-keep- 
ers we want to see multiplied in America, for until poultry- 
keeping becomes a national industry — which it cannot unless 



72 FIRST OUTLAY. 

taken up by the million — so long will the money which should 
be kept in the country be sent out of it for eggs and chickens, 
more particularly for the former articles. 

Poultry-farming on a large scale has been tried often in America, 
of late years more especially, but hitherto it has not proved very 
successful; it does not do so, though, in other countries. When 
fowls are massed they become unhealthy; this has been proved 
very frequently. It is not poultry-farming on an extensive plan, 
however, that I advocate, but general fowl-keeping. I would 
wish to see every laborer with his few fowls, making a little 
extra money by the eggs and chickens they produce. To do this, 
however, profitably there must be thrift, and in this valuable 
quality I fear the Americans as a nation are found wanting. Our 
cooking is by no means good or economical; this is a well-known 
fact. Where a French peasant's wife will set her husband down 
to appetising food, be it only a tasty potage, an American mecha- 
nic's wife will put before hers ill-cooked food costing far more, but 
less nourishing from the fact of its being so badly dressed. Here 
is a decided want of thrift. So in poultry-keeping, peasants in 
France keep a cock and a few hens as a matter of course, but 
feed them very economically on household and garden scraps, 
various odds and ends, and so make them not only pay their 
way, but help in the housekeeping besides. Unfortunately we 
as a nation do not care to trouble over small matters, or attend 
to the merest details, as the French do ; yet it is just this atten- 
tion to trifles which makes poultry-keeping on a small scale pay. 

It is far better to attend to everything yourself — in fact, unless 
you have plenty of money and can have an experienced man or 
woman to look after your stock, you must do so. Leave nothing 
undone for the comfort of your birds, and go through your daily 
work in your poultry-yard regularly and methodically. 



HOUSES AND YARDS. 73 



HOUSES AND YARDS. 



If you have to build a fowl-house it need not be in any way 
an expensive erection. Let it be, if possible, built on to an 
outside wall of the house, say with its back to the kitchen or 
greenhouse, in such a position as to insure some degree of 
warmth to the inmates. Let the floor be dry, the roof weather- 
tight, and the ventilation good, and your fowls will be sure to 
do well in it. The cheapest material to make it of would be 
rough boards. The roof can also be boarded, only in that case it 
should be covered with felt. The holes for ventilation should be 
so placed that the birds feel no cold air on them while roosting. 
Such a house should measure at least eight feet square, and the 
roof should slope from about seven to five feet. The door should 
lock, and a trap-door should be made in it for the hens to go in 
and out at will: this trap-door should be a sliding one, and easily 
closed when required, at night being always kept shut for fear 
of foxes, cats, &c. 

Perches should be round poles, not less than four or five inches 
in diameter, and should not be set too high up — an error into 
which many people fall. Three feet from the ground is quite 
high enough for the most elevated perch, and there should be 
others lower, two and a half feet and two feet from the ground 

If perches are too high, heavy fowls cannot fly up to them with 
ease, and in descending are certain in time to injure themselves, 
bending or breaking the breastbone and injuring their feet. 

The floor should not be of brick, stone, or wood, but of beaten 



74 HOUSES AND YARDS. 

earth well battened down until it presents a perfectly smooth, 
hard surface, which should be swept out carefully daily and 
sanded or sprinkled with fine sifted ashes. If, however, you 
have to build a house for your birds, there being no outhouse 
you can turn into a fowl-house, then you might prepare a floor 
of either chalk battened down until quite hard, the ground being 
dug out to the depth of a foot and filled in with the chalk, over 
which should be spread sifted ashes or sand ; or else fill in the 
space dug out with burnt clay, also thoroughly rammed down 
and spread over with a wet mass of cinders, fine gravel, quick- 
lime, and water; this when dry forms a very good floor. 

The nests should be arranged so that they are screened from 
view and darkened, not placed high up for the same reason as 
before given with regard to the perches, and they should have a 
ledge in front of them for the hen to step on before going into 
her nest or on leaving it, else in flying down eggs are frequently 
dragged out and broken in the fall; and if chickens are hatched 
high up they are liable to creep out of the nest, fall down, and 
die. Soft straw is the best lining for nests, as it does not harbor 
insects so much as hay. It should be frequently changed unless 
hens are sitting, and then it is best not to disturb the hen, or she 
may forsake her nest. Nest-eggs of stone or china are easily 
procured, and should be kept. Many hens will not lay in a nest 
unless there is an egg already in it, and will forsake a nest they 
have been laying in if all the eggs are removed. Some people 
leave in the nest an ordinary egg, but this plan is most objection- 
able; it imparts to the nest a musty smell, and gives also a taste 
of must to those fresh eggs which are laid in it, and which, 
though really fresh in themselves, have thus a disagreeable odor 
and taste, quite leading one to suppose that they were stale. 
This is the reason why so many eggs brought to table have this 
defect; people will not take the trouble to change the straw in 
the nest often enough. Besides all this there is the danger of 



HOUSES AND YARDS. 75 

the stale nest egg breaking, which- if it does, the nest, and even 
the whole hen-house, will become offensive. A stone nest-egg 
can always be kept in a nest, and if a hen wants to sit, a few 
placed under her form a good trial of her steady sitting powers, 
and settle her on her nest before the real eggs she has to hatch 
out are placed under her. 

If you keep more than one sort of fowl you must have divisions 
in your houses. If it is built either against the kitchen wall, or 
back to some room in which there is in winter constantly a fire, 
the effect of the warmth will be apparent in the greater number 
of eggs your hens will lay during the cold weather. Or the hen- 
house could be built on to a greenhouse wall which is kept 
heated in the winter. The nests should be resting against the 
warm back wall, and the birds roosting on the perches will also 
feci the benefit of the heat. It is astonishing how much fowls 
enjoy warmth. This is the reason why cottager's fowls lay 
often very much earlier than those kept by amateurs, because 
they are generally kept in a lean-to outhouse built against the 
cottage wall close to the fireplace. The fowls by this means get 
the warmth of the fire, and in some cases they actually roost in 
the kitchen. All poultry-keepers could have their fowl-houses 
run up outside some fireplace or flue, which would keep the birds 
warm without the expense of an extra fire. 

Yard or Bun. — If fowls are not allowed free range, which is 
not always possible on account of gardens or neighbors, a space 
should be inclosed for them, either fenced off with wooden 
pailings or wire netting. In this run should be a plot of grass, 
and if possible a shrub or two for the birds to pick insects off. 
If the space allows of it there should be a small covered shed in 
one corner for the fowls to run under during the rain, as fowls 
cannot endure damp, and under this shed should be the dust-bath. 
It is a downright necessity for all birds to roll or bathe in the dust. 



76 FOOD. 

They arc very particular about their toilets. This may sound to 
sonic absurd, but it is most important. No fowls will keep in 
health unless they are clean, and by rolling in fine dust and ashes, 
and covering themselves with them, they clean themselves and 
get rid of the fleas and parasites with which they are always more 
or less infested. Fowls that are allowed their entire freedom 
always make dust-heaps for themselves, and retire to them 
daily. 

If it is possible to have a little running stream conducted 
through this yard then you may indeed consider yourself fortu- 
nate, but most likely you will have to content yourself with pots 
and pans for water. Let these be shallow, and change the water 
frequently. The question of coops for chickens I have considered 
in the chapter on Hatching, but I may mention here that the 
shed in the yard would be a very good place for mother hen and 
her family when the weather was damp. A shed need not be an 
expensive building. A few rough poles, with a felt roof, could 
be easily made by any one, and it is a very great boon to fowls. 
It need not be of any great size or height, only the roof should 
have a considerable slope for the rain to run off. 



FOOD. 



Overfeeding is as great a mistake as underfeeding. Three 
times a day is quite enough to feed old fowls: a good meal in 
the early morning, another before going to roost, and a midday 
feed. Many people, however, only feed twice; this, if the fowls 



FOOD. 77 

have a farmyard to dig and forage about in, is enough, but in 
limited space I should certainly feed three times, giving grain 
for the last meal as more sustaining and stimulating. Chickens, 
of course, require food much more frequently. 

Before I describe the various sorts of food suitable for poultry, 
a few general directions will be advisable. 

Feed regularly — that is, at stated hours — and do not get into 
the habit of giving handfuls of grain in and out in the course of 
the day; if you do so you will spoil the birds' digestion. 

A supply of pure fresh water is another absolute necessity. 
Every day in winter the pans should be washed out and filled 
with fresh water, twice a day in summer if the weather is very 
hot. 

All poultry like a change of diet, and should on no account be 
fed day after day with the same food; as fowls are not fastidious, 
but will eat nearly any food, there is no possible reason why a 
variety of food should not be given them, and it is certain they 
will thrive and do better when their tastes are consulted a 
little. 

Rice is a cheap food, but is not very nutritious, therefore 
should be given mixed with other foods; it may, however, be 
considered as an excellent food for fowls which are not kept up 
for show purposes, and if poultry are suffering at all from diarr- 
hoea should be at once given instead of their ordinary food. Bice, 
whenever given, should be cooked as the raw grain is most inju- 
rious, and by swelling in the crop after it has been swallowed 
often makes the fowl "crop-bound. ' ' It should be prepared 
thus: — Boiled until the grains are completely separated, not in 
hard lumps, but easy for the birds to pick up when scattered 
about in the yard; a piece of dripping dissolved in the water in 
which the rice is boiled has a wonderfully softening effect on it. 
In winter I always mix a little coarse black pepper with the 
cooked rice. Fowls in cold weather need stimulants; and 



78 FOOD. 

pepper, when given in sparing quantities, is very good for them. 
Rice can often be purchased very cheaply; many grocers sell 
what they term "fowl-rice," but if you are tolerably near a sea- 
port you can very often get the chance of buying damaged 
' 'cargo' ' rice, which, though possibly just a little injured by sea- 
water, is still excellent food for poultry. I have ranked rice 
first because of its cheapness. Of the different sorts of corn 
barley is the least expensive, but it is too heating to feed fowls 
on it alone; it should be ground into meal, mixed with water 
and fine bran or scraps, and given in a crumbly state, not too 
moist nor yet too lumpy. 

Cooked or prepared food is good for all live stock of all de- 
scriptions, for experience proves it to be more nutritious from 
the changes effected, and therefore more readily digested. One 
writer advises the following mixture : — 

One peck of fine middlings and half a peck of barley-meal 
placed in a coarse earthenware pan and baked for one hour, then 
boiled water is poured in and the whole stirred together until it 
becomes a crumbly mass — or the baked middlings can be mixed 
with rice, previously boiled — two meals of this mixture might be 
given each day, and one meal of grain. 

Oats are good for laying hens, but to my mind are best ground; 
it is not at first a favorite food with poultry, but they soon ac- 
quire the taste, and it is even more nourishing than barley, but 
also more expensive. Oatmeal is considered wonderfully good 
and fattening diet, and in Ireland is generally used for poultry — 
that is, when they are kept up for market, the meal is mixed 
with milk and mashed potatoes. In oats there is as great an 
amount of starch as in barley, more flesh-forming substance, and 
more fat-producing matter. 

Light Wheat is the grain I prefer for poultry-food; but, alas! it 
is not easy to procure, though it is cheap as far as price goes. 
If you have a farmer living near you he may perhaps let you have 



FOOD. 79 

some as a favor; but, as a rule, farmers keep it for feeding their 
own poultry, and do not care to sell it at all. 

Buckwheat and Hempseed are very good, the latter to be given 
during moulting, but they are too expensive to be given fre- 
quently. 

Indian Corn is good and economical food, but too fattening to 
be used much; as a change, though, it is desirable; its usual 
cheapness, compared with the price of our home-grown grains, 
commends it in some places; it should not however, be given 
whole, but ground into meal and mixed with water or milk. 

Linseed is chiefly given to prize fowls and those intended for 
exhibition; it increases the secretion of oil, and makes their 
plumage shine and look glossy. 

Potatoes steamed and mashed are very nourishing, but rather 
expensive. 

Bullock's Liver boiled and cut up into small pieces may be 
given with much advantage once or twice a week to birds kept 
in small inclosures. 

Malt is one of the best things for poultry, but not very easy to 
procure; if, however, you are near a brewery you will not have 
so much difficulty in obtaining it. It induces early and contin- 
ued laying; should be given sparingly, either bruised or whole, 
about two handfuls for every six fowls; it can be mixed with the 
ordinary food. For chickens also it is desirable, about one 
handful to every six; if they are fledging it assists them in 
putting on feathers, and at all times helps their growth. 

Milk should be constantly given — that is, where a cow or cows 
are kept, otherwise perhaps it would be rather an expensive 
addition to the cost of poultry-keeping; but if the food is wetted 
w T ith fresh milk, or a little warm milk stirred into the rice or 
various meals in use, it is astonishing how very much f irther 
the food goes, for it gives a satisfying property to it, and is most 



so 



FOOD. 



nourishing, especially for the younger members of your fowl 

family. 

Green foods are all good, and should be given daily: chopped 
cabbage, clover-heads, turnip-tops, lettuce, turnips, boiled or 
steamed, form also a good change of diet, and grass fresh cut 
from lawns, or a handful plucked and thrown into the yard now 
and then, will be much appreciated. Fowls, as I said before, 
are by no means fastidious in their tastes; grain, soft, animal, 
and green foods all come alike to them; worms, maggots, and 
slugs are also delicacies, but not very often procurable, though 
French poultry-keepers and others take the trouble to form 
heaps of earth, manure, dead leaves, and so on, on purpose to 
generate supplies of worms with which to feed their fowls. 

To those who would keep fowls economically, and yet profi- 
tably, I say save all table and house scraps. If you do not keep 
a pig you will have plenty for the fowls: crusts of bread, stale 
pieces, scraps of meat, fish, vegetables, bones broken up, soup 
bones, after they have been used and their goodness extracted by 
boiling down for stock, yet contain no small share of nourish- 
ment; broken and pounded till small, they are almost necessities 
for fowls kept in partial confinement. 

If you feed fowls on grains and expensive meals you cannot 
expect a profit from them; but if, on the contrary, you utilize 
house-scraps — which would otherwise be wasted— and give green 
food, you will be a considerable gainer; if you have to buy all 
the food, of course you will find poultry-keeping rather an ex- 
pensive amusement instead of a paying one. 

My poultry family I feed in this fashion — that is, the stock 
birds — the chickens, of course, have more delicate food, and that 
more frequently given: — 

First meal, given about 7 a. m. — fowls are early risers — is of 
grain, inferior barley, or wheat-tailings, or meal in a crumbly 
state. 



FOOD. 81 

Second meal, midday, of soft food, pickings, such as bread, 
sops, meat and fish scraps, with either barley, oats, or Indian 
meal mixed with it, or else boiled rice, peppered in winter. 

Third meal, before going to roost, grain. I vary the food as 
much as possible, sometimes giving two meals of grain and one 
of soft food, at other times two meals of soft mixture and one 
of grain, and at least once a week give chopped liver, well boiled 
but fresh— not in the horrible putrid state some people suggest. 
I could not fancy eating a fowl fed on carrion myself, though I 
know it is frequently done; but the flesh on fowls so fed must, 
one would naturally think, be gross and rank-tasting. 

Water should be plentifully supplied fresh and pure and the 
pans refilled frequently in summer; in winter all water-pans 
should be emptied out at night, as, if the water freezes in them 
they often crack or break. 

Lime and mortar rubbish or broken oyster shells should be freely 
scattered about the yards, also gravel and small stones. Fowls 
like to pick such things up; besides, it is necessary that they eat 
some shell-forming material or their eggs will be soft, which is 
very often the case if such substances are not provided. I do 
not believe in cooking or grinding all the grain foods, and should 
certainly give wheat-tailings or inferior small barley in its 
natural state. If the birds could not digest it they would not 
have been provided by Nature "with an elaborate apparatus for 
softening and grinding it. If we feed entirely on moist food 
even fowls in confinement, we must weaken the action of the 
gizzard by not giving it enough work to do. The two extremes 
of feeding entirely on cooked and moistened food, or entirely on 
grain or hard food, are both mistakes; vary the food, and allow 
only one meal of solid grain, which should be given either as 
the first or last meal, but do not so completely interfere with 
Nature's laws, as to weaken an organ which is purposely pro- 
vided to render the natural food wholesome. By allowing 



S3 food. 

plenty of lime and mortar rubbish in your yards, small stones, 
and so on, your fowls, even in confinement, will be able to 
digest a small portion of grain each day. I am well aware that 
many poultry- fanciers say cook all food, but I am certain that too 
much moistened food is not altogether good. I can only speak 
from my own experience, and I never found the creatures under 
my care suffer from eating small whole uncooked grain once a 
day. 

The gizzard is a most powerful grinding-mill, being composed 
of very thick muscles, and lined with a tough insensible coria- 
ceous membrane. The two largest muscles which form the 
grinding apparatus are placed opposite each other, face to face, 
just like two millstones, and they working on each other grind 
to a pulp the food which is subjected to their action and break 
it down until it is in a fit state to be acted upon by the gastric 
juice, which softens the grain. Until, however, it has gone 
through Nature's grinding-mill the gastric juices have no power 
upon it to render it solvent. By giving food constantly which 
does not require the action of this apparatus upon it to render it 
wholesome we run the risk of injuring it by inaction : this surely 
stands to reason. In the case of chickens even a little very 
small grain should be given, that while the gizzard is growing 
it may have something to act upon, and no grain is so good for 
this purpose as the tailings of wheat before-mentioned. 

It is a bad practice to underfeed poultry, or, in fact, any 
young stock ; but, on the contrary, do not waste food ; scatter it 
for them, and when they cease to run after it stop feeding them, 
is a fairly good rule to go by. It is said that one full-grown 
bird will eat half-a-pint of grain each day, because, though it 
may not positively consume that amount of grain — what with 
meal-scraps, green stuff, &c. — it consumes food to about that 
value. 



INCUBATION. 83 



INCUBATION. 



Of artificial incubation I may as well say at once I have had 
no experience; therefore it is a subject of which I do not presume 
to write ; but I cannot think that it is at all adapted to very small 
poultry-yards, for it must entail primary outlay, endless trouble 
and considerable expense. On large farms it may answer, or 
with persons who are bitten with the poultry mania, love trying 
everything new that they hear of, and have more money than 
they know what to do with unless they indulge in some hobby 
or hobbies to help them in making away with it. The invention 
of the artificial incubator cannot be considered, however, as a 
new invention, for as early as 1848 Mr. CaDtelo, manager of the 
Model Poultry Farm at Chiswick, brought out the "Cantelonian 
Hydro-Incubator, ' ' and shortly afterwards Mr. Rouillier inven- 
ted another — an improvement on the one named. Since then 
their name has been Legion. 

The old natural method of allowing the hen to sit on her eggs 
and hatch out her small family is the only plan of which I have 
had practical experience, and as being an entirely natural process 
I cannot but think it the best, especially for poultry-keepers on 
a small scale. 

There are very many little matters connected with eggs, and 
hatching them out, which can only be learnt by much practice 
and long experience of domestic fowls, their manners and habits. 



84 INCUBATION. 

This can only be gained by being constantly with them and 
carefully watching them through all the various stages of their 
lives. 

It is never very difficult to procure a broody hen . Your Brahma 
hens will most likely be quite willing to sit, probably more often 
than you wish, them to. Be careful, however, not to put 
under her at once the eggs which you have selected for your 
sitting. She should be moved in at night, placed on a 
sitting of china eggs, and allowed to sit on them for at least 
two days before you entrust her with real eggs. 

Xow about the eggs themselves. Probably you have, out of 
your family of hens, some that are better than the others, either 
in shape and form, or more.handsomely marked, or better layers, 
or there is something or other about them, some distinguishing 
point, which leads you to wish to perpetuate their stock. Their 
eggs should, therefore, be saved; but do not keep eggs certainly 
beyond a fortnight; the fresher the eggs the better, I believe. 
Those you set apart for a sitting remove directly they are laid 
and place them in bran, small end downwards, dating them in 
ink, and adding the name of the hen. Does this sound absurd? 
Possibly to people who know little and care less about fowls it 
may, but those w T ho keep a limited number I venture to say 
would have their original family of birds named, either by names 
caused by some distinguishing mark about the bird, or in groups 
adhering to one initial letter. 

When you have collected, say, thirteen eggs, which is quite 
enough to put under any hen, though people do advise fifteen 
for a large hen — too many really for a hen, though a turkey 
would cover them comfortably — thirteen for a large Brahma hen, 
and eleven for a smaller hen are the number I usually place 
under the hen, and find them quite enough. If a nest is too 
lull of eggs there is sure to be an accident: some eggs get broken 
and the nest gets foul and sickly; besides, the hen covers a com- 



INCTJBATIOK. 85 

pact nest of eggs much better, and they all get an equal share of 
heat. 

All the eggs placed under the hen should be marked with 
their proper dates. Have the eggs as near as possible in date, so 
that the chicks may hatch out close together. A great advan- 
tage of marking the eggs is, that should the hen lay any when 
first beginning to sit, or should other hens gain access to the nest, 
the fresh eggs laid can be removed. Mr. James Long, a great 
authority on poultry, advises that at the end often days the eggs 
should be tested. This should be done in the evening by the 
light of a lamp, holding the egg betwixt the thumb and forefin- 
ger of the right hand in front of the flame, and shading the large 
end with the base of the left hand, the air-chamber is discovered; 
this is apparently opaque, the rest of the egg being dark and 
heavy, the two portions being divided by a clear black line — that is, 
if the egg is fertile. If, on the other hand, the egg is light and 
opaque throughout, or, in other words, exactly like a new-laid 
egg when held before the same light, it is not fertile. This little 
test is so simple that every one should adopt it, and use the eggs 
found unfertile, not returning them to the nest. They are just 
as edible and as wholesome as eggs laid on the same day but not 
placed under a hen, and can always be used in the kitchen, being 
quite as good if not better than the so-called ' 'cooking eggs." 
Sometimes, however, these unfertile eggs are not clear and edible, 
but rotten; this can generally be detected. If the egg, on being 
tested in the manner described, is found neither clean nor fertile 
with the dark line at the top, but without the dark line and dull 
throughout, especially in the centre, the whole mass within the 
shell being in a movable state, its condition may be reasonably 
suspected and it can be thrown away. This state may arise from 
one or more causes; it is fancied that it arises from the fertiliza- 
tion being incomplete or weak, wanting sufficient strength to 
break into positive life, but yet enough to affect the rest of the 



86 INCUBATION. 

e gg> which, as in all cases in which any life has existed, decom- 
poses, and in time engenders gas. Such eggs should be buried, 
not thrown where they can be picked at by other birds. 

It is a good plan to sit two or more hens at the same time; on 
the tenth day you can test the eggs, and remove from both nests 
the unfertile ones giving one hen all the other eggs and resitting 
the other on a fresh lot of eggs. Besides, if two hens sit at once, 
one hen when they hatch out can take both broods, so you econ- 
omise your stock of hens. I would never advise, as some people 
do, that hen No. 2 should be given a fresh set of eggs and have to 
sit another three weeks, for no hen could sit six weeks without 
taxing her strength too much; this proceeding I look upon as a 
downright cruel one. 

Short-legged hens are the best for sitting, therefore Brahmas 
and Dorkings make very good "broody" hens. Three weeks is 
the usual time it takes for hens' eggs to hatch, but they may 
eithei be a day or two before or a day or two after the twenty- 
one days. 

If possible have a sitting-house, or arrange that your sitting 
hens are kept in a quiet, rather dark place, away from the other 
birds, else you will have endless trouble; for if kept in the same 
house in which the other hens lay, they will be constantly inter- 
fering with the sitting hens, trying to lay in the same nests, and 
eggs are sure to be broken in the scuffle. Your sitter may prove 
a little restless in a fresh place at first, but employ china eggs 
for her to sit on until she is disposed to sit steadily, and she will 
soon settle down, you will find, in her new nest, especially if she 
be really "broody" or "cluck.' ' And here it may be as well, per- 
haps, to say a few words about "broody" hens. Sometimes they 
are most tiresome, and very often this strong desire to sit, which 
is termed storge, is so strong that no means you can try will abate 
it. In such a case I should be tempted, even if I did not want 
the chickens, to let the poor hen gratify her desire, and do as 



INCUBATION. 87 

the French acouveurs do. They only provide broods, but do not 

rear them, selling their chickens at twenty-four hours old, and 

sending them to the fermiere who has ordered them packed up 

warmly in flannel in a small flat basket. Chickens, curiously 

enough, travel very well at that early age, better even than when 

they are older, because Nature provides them with nourishment 

when they first hatch out, and they really need nothing till the 

next day but to be kept snug and warm. When they reach their 

destination, which must, of course, be within reasonable distance, 

they are given at night to a hen who has a brood of chickens of 

about the same age, who will, as a rule, welcome the addition 
to her family with pleasure, seeming rather to delight in this 

mysterious increase to her family. A hen is always very proud 

of a large brood, and I have often noticed will apparently, in hen 

language, crow over a less fortunate mother with only a few to 

take care of. 

I once had a hen who had only one chick. She got shut away 

from her nest by accident, and was kept out so long that the 

eggs were spoiled all but three, and from these were hatched 

very weakly chicks. Two died in the act of being liberated 

from their shells, and the result of the sitting of thirteen eggs 

was one chick, and that took a considerable amount of cosseting 

and nursing before it became quite strong. It was most absurd 

to see the mother, the fuss she made over her one bantling. It 

was a late sitting, and I had no other chicks ready to enlarge 

her family. "When the chick was a few days old, her favorite 

mode of carrying it was on her back, and there the little creature 

sat quite contentedly while the hen marched about. This went 

on for months, until really the single scion of the house of "Kaca" 

was as strong as his mother. But the affection between the two 

was too funny. Even when he was a fine handsome cockerel, 

about to be promoted to reign in the room of his father "Raca" 

asKaca II., or over another harem, his mother would insist on 



88 INCUBATION. 

presenting him with scraps and dainties she had picked up. I 
never knew a case in which the tie of relationship betwixt hen 
and chick lasted so lone:. 

To return to the subject of ' 'broody' ' hens. I certainly wonder 
why here in America we do not adopt French methods with 
regard to rearing poultry. We spend days, weeks, in trying to 
cure a hen of wishing to sit, a perfectly natural inclination, very 
often starving and really cruelly teasing the poor thing, while 
all that time she might be fulfilling her end in life, and sitting 
on a nest full of eggs. She does not cost more while she is sit- 
ting, and, indeed, it is far more economical to employ her than 
to chase the poor wretch off the nests, shut her up, give her physic, 
or otherwise torment her. You may argue, "Oh, but my hen 
would lay again soon if I prevented her from sitting !" Pardon 
me, but the hen certainly would not lay under a month, and pro- 
bably not for six weeks, as she will pine at first and lose flesh from 
the feverish anxiety of her state, will be some time before she gets 
in condition again, and very often two or three months will elapse 
before she will lay ; whereas, after sitting, even if her chickens 
are removed from her or she is only left with one — perhaps you 
feel inclined to allow her one or two after her trouble of sitting 
so long — she will begin to lay again sooner than she would were 
she laboring under the storge. If it is very late in the season you 
might get ducks' eggs and sit your "broody" hen on them. Ducks 
do better in cold, inclement weather than chickenSj and when 
sold bring in a good price. They cost more to fat, though, as 
they are such ravenous feeders. 

Sitting hens should have a daily run. Do not remove them 
forcibly from their nests, but let the door be open every day at 
a certain hour for a certain time while you are about. Perhaps 
for the first day or two you may have to take them gently off 
their nests and deposit them on the ground outside the door. 
They will soon, however, learn the habit, and come out when 



INCUBATION. 89 

the door is open, eat, drink, have a dust-bath, and return to 
their nests. That this should he a daily performance is quite 
necessary to their health and well-being. It is a very old and 
mist?.ken notion to fancy that the chicks hatch out better if the 
hen sits close and never leaves her nest, because it is not so; air, 
food, exercise, and a roll in the dust are necessary to the hen's 
health, and the eggs will not come to any harm. 

Some people, while hens are off their nests, damp the eggs 
with lukewarm water. Moisture, they say, is necessary, and the 
chicks gain strength by the process. This may be correct, and, 
in very dry weather, perhaps necessary. Myself I never fancied 
it did much good, though I have tried the experiment; but I 
consider it is a mistake to meddle too much with nest or eggs; 
the hen is only made restless and dissatisfied by so doing, and 
the result is not such a very decidedly good one as to be worth 
the extra trouble. While the eggs are hatching out do not 
touch the nests; it is very foolish to fuss the old bird and make 
her angry, as she treads on the eggs in her fury, and crushes the 
chicks when they are in the most delicate state of hatching — 
i.e., when they are half in and half out of the shell, when a 
heavy tread on the part of the old bird is nearly certain to kill 
them. 

Picking off the shell to help the imprisoned chick is always a 
more or less hazardous proceeding, and should never be had 
recourse to unless the egg has been what is termed * 'billed" 
for a long time, in which case the chick is probably a weakly 
one and may need a little help, which must be given with the 
greatest caution, in order that the tender membranes of the skin 
shall not be lacerated. A little help should be given at a time, 
every two or three hours; but if any blood is perceived stop at 
once, as it is a proof that the chick is not quite ready to be lib- 
erated. If, on the contrary, the minute bloodvessels which arc 
spread all over the interior of the shell are bloodless, then you 



90" INCUBATION. ' 

may be sure the chick is in some way stuck to the shell by its 
feathers, or is too weakly to get out of its prison-house. 

The old egg shells should be removed from under the hen, 
but do not take away her chicks from her one by one as they 
hatch out, as is very often advised, for it only makes her very 
uneasy, and the natural warmth of her body is far better for 
them at that stage than artificial heat. 

Should only a few chicks have been hatched out of the sitting, 
and the other remaining eggs show no signs of life when exam- 
ined, no sounds of the little birds inside, then the water test 
should be tried. Get a basin of warm water, not really hot, 
and put those eggs about which you do not feel certain into it. 
If they contain the chicks they will float on top, if they move 
or dance the chicks are alive, but if they float without movement 
the inmates will most likely be dead. If they (the eggs) are rot- 
ten they will sink to the bottom. Put the floating ones back 
under the hen, and if, on carefully breaking the others, you find 
the test is correct (one puncture will be sufficient to tell you this), 
bury them at once. 

Chickens should never be set free from their shells in a hurry, 
because it is necessary for their well-being that they should have 
taken in all the yolk, for that serves them for food for twenty- 
four hours after they see the light, so no apprehension need be 
felt if they do not eat during that period, if they seem quite strong, 
gain their feet, and their little downy plumage spreads out and 
dries properly. Their 1 >est place is under the hen for the time 
named, then they may be fed in the manner described under the 
head of "Management of Chickens.'* 



MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 91 



MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 



Chickens will, as I have already said, do without food for the 
first day and night; but as soon as they begin to feed they should 
be very well fed, and constantly. We all know the old saying, 
that " Children and chicken are always picking. " At first their 
food should be crumbs of bread, sometimes dry, sometimes 
soaked in milk, and the yolk of hard-boiled eggs crumbled up 
and mixed with bread-crumbs. This is quite enough for the 
first week. Afterwards small grain may be given, chicken 
wheat, or tailings of wheat, groats, canary-seed, a very little 
hempseed, bits of underdone meat minced small, a little finely- 
chopped green food, macaroni boiled in milk and cut into small 
bits, and so on. They should be fed very often, but only given 
a little at a time. I leed mine every two hours for the first three 
weeks or so, taking care that they only have just as much as 
they can eat at a time, so that the food is not wasted. Hemp- 
seed mast be given with caution; but if the weather is cold and 
damp it is very good for warming the chicks, and they are very 
fond of it. Soft food mixed dry should be given them after the 
first week, macaroni, barley-meal, or middlings. This mixture 
should be made with milk, or, if no milk is given, then scalded 
water, but on no account should any food for chickens be mixed 
with water which has not been boiled or scalded. The food 
should not be mixed in a wet, sloppy mass, but of such a con- 
sistency that when thrown on the ground it will crumble 
readily. 



93 MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 

The old hen should be supplied with grain (wheat), some of the 
meal, or any other food suitable for her when her little ones are 
fed, but not oats. All water which is given to the chickens 
should be boiled first, or else it is very apt to give them diarr- 
hoea. A very good drinking-pan can be made for the small birds 
by inverting an ordinary flowerpot in its saucer, and filling the 
latter with water. In this they cannot drown themselves, as 
they might in a deeper pan or ordinary drinking-trough. Many 
people give skim- milk instead of water at first. 

All the time chickens are growing they should be well fed. It 
is the very greatest mistake to stint any young stock; and chick- 
ens, if you wish to bring them on quickly for market, must be 
well and generously fed at all ages, not neglected when three- 
parts grown, as is too often done. They should be constantly 
supplied with fresh water. 

It is certainly best to confine the hen under a coop for the first 
month or so. If she is allowed her liberty she will wander about 
with her brood in search of insects, and so may expose her family 
to the attacks of hawks, weasels, or other vermin. And, besides 
this, though you wish to feed your hen well while with her brood, 
it would be rather foolish to allow her to satisfy her appetite on 
the dainties prepared for them, which she naturally will do un- 
less you give them their meal where she cannot reach it, but 
giving her under her coop at the same time coarser food. Econ- 
omy points out that delicate and expensive food, such as groats, 
boiled eggs, and crumbs of bread, should be reserved for the 
chicks, while the hen has wheat or ordinary food. I should not 
feel inclined to give her oats or barley unbruised for this reason: 
she will, of course, call her little ones joyfully to her to partake 
of the food given her, and they might choke themselves with 
large whole grain, such as oats or barley. Rice will not hurt 
them (boiled, of course), nor wheat, which is a much smaller 



MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 93 

grain, especially in tailings, than tlie other cereals mentioned, 
and cannot injure her little family, even if she does give them 
a grain or two? 

For the first week or two the coop should be placed in a warm 
sheltered spot, but taken into a safe place at night. As the 
chicks gain strength it should be moved on to a grass plat. The 
ordinary-shaped coop, with a sloping roof and barred front, is as 
good a one as any, only I should advise handles, strong wooden 
ones, being fixed to each side to facilitate movement. Boarded 
bottomed coops are not desirable — it is far better to place a bot- 
tomless coop on the ground — else you might have small wheels 
to your coops to push them along when changing their place. 
In a case of emergency, or if the expense of a coop cannot be 
incurred, an old cask or beer-barrel makes a very fair coop. 
Knock out one end and put laths across, leaving one to draw in 
or out, and take out the staves which rest on the ground. The 
barrel should be propped on each, side to prevent its moving, and 
a tarpaulin must be provided to throw over it at night to prevent 
any rain soaking in the knocked-out end, and will serve as a 
cover for the opening, which must be closed, for fear of cats, 
foxes, rats, and such creatures. Holes for ventilation must be 
drilled in this cover. I have reared many a healthy small brood 
in a barrel in this way. It is easily rolled, too, into a fresh place, 
and if you liave not coops enough, and do not know where to 
stow your small families, barrels or boxes must be turned to 
account. 

The chicks when about a week old should be allowed a little 
liberty. The old hen might be turned out with them for an 
hour or so during the warm part of the day, only she must be 
watched in order that she does not lead them into mischief. 
About this time, too, their food should be changed; less soaked 
food and more small grain be given instead — grits, boiled barley, 
and other articles of diet before advised. 



94 MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 

Chickens should never be let out too early in the morning 
even when they are three weeks or a month old, as it is certainly 
had for them to be about while the dew is on the grass. 

The coops should be constantly changed about from place to 
place, but never allowed to stand on wet, moist ground. One 
of the great secrets in rearing chickens is always to keep them dry. 
If they are allowed to be out in the wet, or kept on damp ground, 
they will soon become delicate. * 'Gapes," that fatal malady 
will attack them, or diarrhoea, or some other ailment, and they 
will soon die off. 

When they begin to feather the very greatest care should be 
taken of them, as this is a very critical period. Hempseed and 
bread soaked should be given, and iron in their water. At six 
months they should be in full plumage, and in seven or eight 
months the pullets, if they have been well fed up to this time, 
w T ill commence laying. " Tailings' ' (wheat) are really the best 
grain food for chickens up to four months. After they first 
begin to eat grain many people advise barley, but if you can get 
wheat — which is not, however, always easy to procure — I infi- 
nitely prefer it. If you must give barley, then let it be bruised. 

I am no friend to keeping chicks indoors, as some people advise, 
for I am convinced it makes them weakly. Find a sheltered 
corner for the coop, and move them into it even in cold weather, 
only put the coop under shelter at night. Confining them in- 
doors, even in a barn or a stable, appears to produce cramp and 
weakness of the legs, which when turned out is not the case, for 
the best and surest preventive for cramp and leg-weakness is to 
let the birds so affected have their liberty in the air, where they 
can get the exercise they really require. 

With regard to the time for chickens to be hatched out, I rear 
young chickens most months in the year, but then my fowl- 
house is in a sheltered place and on good dry soil. If you sit 



MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 95 

late in the autumn, say in October or November, it is an advan- 
tage — that is, if you are in a fairly-sheltered, warm, dry spot — 
for chickens hatched in December and January bring in a hand- 
some profit in the shape of "spring chickens." There is, of 
course, a good deal of risk, and immense care must be taken of 
the young birds during the cold weather, but if the situation is 
good it is well worth a trial. 

By the end of June, or early in July, pullets hatched in Decem- 
ber should, if they have been really well fed, be commencing to 
lay. Your early chickens will not, perhaps, be as strong as those 
hatched two months after, say in February and March. This is 
one reason why they should be reared for table. In any case I 
should not breed from birds hatched in the coldest winter months; 
but in the case of pullets, if I did not kill them all off as "spring 
chicks," fatten and kill them when they had finished laying, and 
before they began to moult; for birds hatched, say in March or 
April, would be really much stronger, and "selected" ones for 
keeping out of such broods be more to be depended on to supply 
the place of some of the old stock if you mean to kill any of 
them off. 

If you wish to fatten "spring chickens" quickly for market, 
when they are about two months old confine them in coops and 
feed chiefly with moist food. In my opinion a fowl allowed its 
liberty has a better flavor than one confined and fed up in a coop, 
but it certainly does not put on flesh so quickly nor yet get so 
thoroughly plump and tempting-looking when trussed ready for 
market, therefore I should advise that those chickens fattened 
for sale should be kept in coops and fed up, while those for home 
use should be allowed their liberty until they were really wanted 
by the cook. 

With regard to foxes, rats, and such vermin, your best safe- 
guard against them is to house all your stock at night, and see 
yourself that their numbers are all right. 



96 MANAGEMENT OF CHICKENS. 

Rats must be waged war against. They are the greatest ene- 
mies to young ducklings, also chickens. Keep steel traps 
prepared, putting them down when the fowls are shut up for 
the night in the runs outside, and baiting them with cheese or 
bits of meat, only drop a little oil of rodium on the bait. In 
time, if you will persevere, you will either frighten them away or 
else catch them ; but you must of course, keep your traps out of 
the way of the fowls themselves. Boiling coal tar poured down 
the holes, and followed by a deluge of water, is said to be very 
effectual in making rats desert a yard. I am averse to poison, 
because, if it is used in a fowl-house or yard, it is next to im- 
possible to prevent an accident sooner or later. Ferreting every 
now and then will do good, unless your houses are adjoining 
barns or extensive outhouses, in which case you are more likely 
to lose your ferrets than destroy the vermin. The holes should 
be carefully stopped with a mixture of ground glass, bits of glass 
broken up, and ordinary plaster. Eats will not often attack 
glass mixed in this way. If you do use poison you must nail it 
up somewhere out of reach of the birds. This you can do by 
getting a small bit of meat, soaking it with the poison, and nailing 
it on to a bit of wood, nailing that again to the wall. Myself I 
should be afraid of the rat, in his efforts to get off the meat, 
dropping little bits of it on the floor, when of course the fowls 
would be the sufferers. 

Cats are enemies also. Dogs one has not much reason to 
fear, but in the vicinity of a town cats of all ages and sizes will 
sooner or later visit you, and if there is one delicacy they prefer 
to another it is a young chick or duckling. They are so cunning 
too, it is hard to catch them. 

Traps are not much good. Poisoned fish put down near where 
you fancy they get into the run is the only thing; but of course 
it must be taken away without fail before you let your fowls 
out of the house, and it should also be nailed to a piece of wood, 



FATTENING. 97 

which might be smeared with oil of valerian— of which some cats 
are so fond — to make it even more attractive. I never lost any 
chicks by cats, I am bound to say, and therefore should be loath 
to set poison down for them. I dread poison too, as I have 
already said, in a fowl-yard. One cat I had who took a fancy 
to a young duckling, but was discovered before she had eaten it, 
so poor ducky was tied to her neck in such a position that she 
could not get rid of it, and this effectually cured her of killing 
ducklings or chicks. A good hungry half-starved town cat, 
however, one could not cure by such means; it would be a case 
of ' 'first catch your cat." But still cats I look on in a light of 
friends, unless I suffered too severely from their attacks I 
should not like to demolish them by such a cruel method as 
poison. 



FATTENING. 



In feeding fowls for table, or rather for market — for I should 
never coop chickens to fat merely for home use, as I have before 
said — much depends on circumstances. 

Spring chickens should be penned for fattening directly the 
hen shows a desire to leave them, when they are, say, five weeks 
old. They will not then have lost their first plump condition, 
and will soon, if well fed, increase rapidly in weight. They 
are not required to be very large; indeed, if fatted too long buy- 
ers would fancy they were not really "spring chickens,' ' which 
frequently make their appearance at table not much larger than 



93 FATTENING. 

blackbirds, and are then considered all the greater delicacy. 

If your chickens were hatched out in December, early in Feb- 
ruary you can put them up to fat. Their coops or cages should 
be placed in a warm dark sheltered place. There are a variety 
of different coops or pens recommended by different authorities 
on poultry to fat chickens. I do not remember to have seen one, 
however, which is, to my mind so suited to the purpose as this 
of which I give a description. 

As far as the general conformation of the coop goes, it is made 
on the same plan as many others; but the adaptable shelf which 
is its chief feature is entirely my own idea, and if adopted would, 
I feel sure, give general satisfaction. 

The coop itself is made of boards, sides, back, and ends of 
front; centre of front is barred, with the two middle bars mov- 
able. It stands on legs between two and three feet in height, 
the roof sloped sufficient to allow the rain to run easily off. 
To hold four chickens at the same time the coop should be 
about five feet in length, four in breadth, and three in height — 
that is, above the legs on which it stands. If the birds are kept 
in separate divisions then a little more length will have to be 
allowed for the partitions. This will give ample room for the 
birds without uncomfortably cramping them. 

The bars in front of the coop should be wide enough apart to 
allow the birds to get their heads through easily to get at 
their food, which should be given them on a shelf or board. 
The shelf, when not in use, being fixed on hinges, would fold 
down in front of the coop. This is a much better plan than 
having a trough for food fixed outside, as so many coops have, 
the objection to it being that the food soon gets sour — I mean 
what is left after the birds have fed — sticking to the sides of the 
trough, which, if it is a box-like fixture, it is next to impossible 
to clean properly. 

The shelf should have an upright lath nailed to it to prevent 



FATTENING. 99 

the chickens pushing the food beyond their reach in efforts to 
get at it, but the ledge should not be so deep as to interfere with 
the shelf closing against the front of tha coop. Between this 
ledge and the coop should fit a zinc trough, the width of the 
division, for water. 

When food is put down this water-trough should be slipped out, 
to be replaced when the meal is over. Two small wooden sup- 
ports would prop up this miniature table; on the same plan an 
extra shelf is made to enlarge an ordinary table. A further use 
of this flat board would be to close up the front of the coop at 
night. It should not close entirely the barred space, room being 
left at the top for ventilation. "Water not being required at 
night, the zinc trough should be removed to allow of the shelf 
being closed, while the wooden buttons would keep it firmly in 
its place, the small holes at the side of the coop supplying the 
extra ventilation necessary. 

With regard to sanitary arrangements, before the birds are 
put into the coop it should be thoroughly washed with a mix- 
ture of lime and size, to destroy all vermin. This dries quite 
hard and does not rub off. If a white wash is objected to in a 
feeding-pen, then it could be darkened by the admixture of color, 
only see that there is no lead in the color mixed with the wash 
to procure the darker shade. The partially-boarded front will 
prevent the coop being too light. 

The floor should be first of all of flat bars placed length- wise — 
fixtures these — and over them should slip in, from the back of 
the coop, a movable board, which should be drawn out every 
day and thoroughly scraped and sanded, but not washed, because 
if not thoroughly dry when put in the birds would get a chill, and 
very likely suffer from diarrhoea in consequence. 

If after a meal there is any food remaining, let down the shelf 
and brush it off, giving it to the other fowls in order not to 
waste it. Food should never be allowed to remain in the sight 



100 FATTENING. 

of fattening fowls, or they will lose appetite. If they are only 
fed at stated times, and when they have eaten as much as they 
require the board is carefully cleaned and the water-trough 
replaced in the niche, the birds will feed again, when the time 
comes round for their food, with eagerness, which will not be the 
case if the food is left there for them to peck at. 

I have had plenty of experience with fowls, having reared them 
for show, for eggs, and for table, and have therefore no hesita- 
tion in recommending my "adaptable shelf," as I feel certain it 
is an addition of the greatest use to an ordinary feeding-coop. 
It adds very little t o the expense, is so simple that any carpenter 
could easily make it from a plain drawing, avoids waste of food, 
and insures cleanliness. As soft food is mostly used in fatting 
chickens, it is all the more necessary that none of it should be 
allowed to remain after the meal to turn sour, disagree with the 
birds, and take away their appetite. In a trough it is hardly 
possible to prevent a little lodging in the corners and sides, as if 
the trough is a fixture it cannot be removed to be washed; on a 
shelf remains of food need never be left, as the application of a 
hard brush for a few minutes would remove every particle, a 
little sand being afterwards sprinkled lightly over the board 
to render it perfectly sweet before the water-trough is slipped 
in. 

Water should be constantly changed, and boiled water should 
be always used instead of that just pumped or drawn from a 
well or spring, as this will prevent the chickens getting diarr- 
hoea. 

You should have some plan of darkening your pens, either 
by letting down a tarpaulin over the top or having sliding 
boards to run in and out, so that the light can be regulated at 
will. 

Some people keep their chickens separately, having their pens 
divided. I do not think this is really necessary if you choose 



FATTENING. 101 

chickens of the same brood to fat together. Four are enough 
to fat at a time; but never allow your coop, if you have only 
one, to remain empty; as you kill off one lot of chickens you 
should have another batch ready to put in. Cramming I am 
entirely averse to. It is a needlessly cruel and disgusting 
custom, though very frequently practiced, especially in 
France. 

Now comes the grand question of food. It should always be 
pultaceous; the birds cannot pick up pebbles and little stones 
when shut up, so cannot, digest grain of any sort. Feed them 
on bread and milk, oatmeal and milk, rice well boiled with a 
little pepper mixed with it, barley-meal, Indian corn meal, pota- 
toes steamed and mixed with barley-meal, chopped green food, 
&c. Yery many breeders give a large amount of suet mixed 
with the food, but unless people are fond of greasy fat on their 
poultry, which to me is an abomination, I should not advise it, 
as it makes the flesh so gross. Vary the diet as much as possible, 
and never give it in a sloppy state, but crumbly. Three weeks 
or a month at the outside is enough to keep fowls up for fatting: if 
kept longer the confinement begins to tell on them. Some peo- 
ple mix treacle or sugar with their food. Saccharine matter is 
no doubt conducive to fat, and oatmeal, or Indian corn ground 
into meal and mixed with treacle until it is in a crumbling state, 
is a food all chickens are fond of, but should only be given to 
those you wish to feed; it would not do for those pullets you 
wish to bring on to lay quickly, as it would develop interior fat, 
which is always fatal to constant laying. 

Guard against waste of food. Only experience will cause you 
to know how much to supply at once; and until you learn this, 
directly you see the chickens begin to pick daintily at their food 
remove it, give to the other fowls then what is left, but on no 
account allow it to stay in the trough for the fatting chickens to 
eat, when, as the old women say, "they've a mind to." If they 



102 FATTENING. 

do not constantly see food before them they will eat it far more 
readily when it is given. This is only common-sense treatment, 
and, believe me, in dealing with fowls you must often draw 
largely on this very desirable commodity. 

Four meals a day should be the allowance for penned-up chick- 
ens, letting them eat, each time you feed, as much as they will 
with appetite. At night they will roost on the board. Some 
people put down clean straw, but if you close up the pen so that 
the birds are not cold it is not really necessary, and it only har- 
bours insects. Perches you might have if you've room in your 
pen — sufficient height I mean. Before the birds are put in have 
the coop well cleaned, white-washed, and sprinkled with car- 
bolic acid. This should be done two or three times during the 
time the chicks are fattening. 

Fowls should of course be killed in the most merciful way. 
It makes one shudder to read of the manner in which the poor 
things are sometimes tortured, allowed to bleed slowly to death, 
pins run into their brains, and horrors too dreadful to name. 
Poultry dealers generally kill them in the quickest manner by 
breaking their necks, and so quickly do they perform their 
work that one man will often kill and pick a dozen or more 
in an hour. One of the easiest ways of killing is to hit the bird 
a sharp blow on the back of the head with a heavy blunt stick; 
death is almost instantaneous. Then pluck at once while the 
bird is warm, as the process can then be accomplished much 
more rapidly than if the bird is allowed to hang until cold. 
"When all the feathers are ofl the fowl will still be warm. It 
should then be carefully singed, floured, and trussed, and placed 
between two boards with a weight, on the topmost; not too heavy 
a weight, of course, to spoil its shape, but just enough to keep 
the breast down and in good shape. 

Capons of course fetch much better prices, and their flesh 
remains tender up to the age of two- years, whereas a cock at 



FATTENING. 103 

that age is only eatable in a stew, or pie. Chickens converted 
into capons increase in size to a wonderful extent; the birds will 
in a year be nearly treble the size it would have been if left 
alone, and double the market value. 

In conclusion I may observe that I can most sincerely, from my 
own practical experience, advise all ladies, as well as gentlemen, 
who have a little room to spare in their back gardens, to set up 
poultry-keeping on a small scale. Many more people keep 
fowls now than used to years ago, I know, but still not half 
people enough. Many who have room to spare for a family of 
fowls let that room remain unoccupied, either from a mistaken 
idea that poultry-keeping is too expensive or will entail too much 
trouble on them. "With regard to the latter idea, it is, no doubt, 
a partially true one. Fowls do cause trouble, and if they are to be 
made to pay their way cannot fail to do so. But whatever trouble 
they cause they are worth it, and no undertaking or pursuit that I 
ever heard of nourished without some amount of trouble. In 
return they give fresh eggs — that you are sure of, and can offer 
a guest without any inward misgivings — plump chickens, a little 
pocket-money, and a great deal of interest. 



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Humorists, Joe Miller, containing altogether 

1711 Laughable Witticisms. 

'• The gravest beast is an ass ; The gravest bird is an owl; 
The gravest fish is an oyster; And the gravest man is a fool." 

JOB MIJLLBJK. 

This Book contains 389 Pages, with Index, i2mo. Size, Handsome- 
ly Bound in Fine English Cloth, Gold Stamped. 

Price Postpaid to any Address $1 00. 



The Female Spy 



OF THE 



UNION ARMY. 



♦ «> » 



. The Thrilling Adventures, Experiences and Escapes of Miss 
S. Emma E. Edmunds, as Nurse, Spy and Scout, in Hospitals, 
Camps and Battle Fields. 

Giving a truthful account of the Secret Expeditions ; her many 
Disguises ; Celebrated Battles ; The Peninsula Campaign ; Antie- 
tam ; Malvern Hill ; Vicksburg, Etc., Etc, 

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS, 

i2mo, Handsomely Bound in Cloth, With Superb Gilt Stamps. 
Retail Price, - - $1.00 

CRAWFORD & CO.. Publishers, 

No. 47 North Ninth Street, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



L1BRA RY OF CONGRESS 

nil mil \w\ 



002 849 589 4 



